How can I make my period cramps go away!?!?

Question

I am in horrible pain I want to scream! I have tried medicine, abdominal exercise, and heat. None of the have worked!!

Answer 1

Over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or naproxen sodium used around the clock as soon as you notice the first sign of your period help to reduce the severity of cramps in many women by inhibiting the release of prostaglandins. Acetaminophen (e.g.-Tylenol) will help the pain but does not have the effect on the prostagladins.

Regular physical activity often reduces cramping in some women.

Natural progesterone may help reduce the symptoms that are causing menstrual cramps.

Supplementing your diet with zinc and calcium has been found to reduce cramps, bloating, and related PMS symptoms.

Herbal remedies such as Viburnum prunifolium, Scutellaria spp., and Cimicifuga raemosa have an antispasmodic effect that may reduce some menstrual cramps. Other useful herbs include cramp bark, squaw vine, unicorn root, bromelain, evening primrose oil, and blue cohosh.

Try taking a warm bath and using aromatherapy or using a heating pad on your lower abdomen or back. If you don't have a heating pad, a heating pad can be made by filling a sock with rice and heating it in the microwave.

Taking time for yourself, relaxing, and letting those around you know that you are not feeling yourself will help by reducing the stress of your everyday life that may contribute to your menstrual cramps.

Answer 2

Birth control does help but it is also very expensive so if you do go behind her back make sure you have enough money to pay for it! I take asprin, it thins your blood and helps reduce pain (although it probably isn't the best thing to have). Stay away from hard to digest food and dairy. Get a wheat bag/heat pack/hot water bottle. Something hot which you can put over where your cramps are. Eat bannanas and have raspberry tea. Also I find that this trick gets rid of all the pain (but only while you are doing it) lie on your back on your bed or a couch and raise your kness as if you are about to do a sit up then put the heat bad on your tummy where the pain is. Stay there and the pain will pretty much go away. Sometimes light walking/pacing helps and sometimes it makes it feel worse. Oh and drink lots of water! Kepp your fluids up, it helps, it really does.

Answer 3

First of all, I would not take birth control unless you are having seriously heavy bleeding. Birth control comes with its own set of troubles and side effects.

Which medicine have you tried? I have painful cramps and what always works for me are 3 advils (or generic ibuprofen). It's an anti-inflammatory and works SO much better for me than Tylenol.

Secondly, I don't know how old you are, but alcohol is a good muscle relaxer and can relieve cramps. I sometimes pop open a cold beer or mix myself a whiskey-and-coke. Red wine might also be nice.

You might also take a look at your diet. If you have a typical American diet which is high in fats or sugars and refined starches this could be negatively affecting your cycles.

Painful periods are also sometimes caused by things like endometriosis, uterine tumors or infection. If none of the above methods work, then I would put in a call to your OB to rule these factors out.

Answer 4

you've already gotton some excellent advice, but I want to point out that some of the priority things to do are:
1. Chart on your calendar when you start, end, and pain level from 1 to 10.
2. Find out from your gynecologist if you are just having cramps or instead have a medical condition like dismenorreah and/or PMS, or fibroids, etc. There are specific treatments and medicines (anti-inflamatories like ibuprofen, serotonin re-uptake inhibitors for short term use at time of cycle, surgery, etc. Or, sometimes the pill is necessary, which actually replaces your period with light bleeding but no sloughing off of the utering lining.
3. Make sure you are exercising enough - a classic onset is when you get out of school and have been in a desk job awhile.
4. Make sure you are getting the right nutrients.
5. Some women have to stop or reduce chocolate, coffee, etc when their cycle is due. Make sure you are drinking enough water - sometimes the combination of dehydration and hormonal cycles sets off cramps.
Make sure you investigate all of these possibilities, and have a month or two charted to show to your doctor. If you don't want to bother to put notes on your calendar, you are just asking to continue to be miserable. This is one of those things that is specific to each woman, so you can't just take a stronger pill - you need to know what is happening during YOUR cycle. There are lots of websites that will give you this kind of advice.

Answer 5

Aleeve is great for cramps, as well as Ibuprofen (you can get those over the counter at Wal-Mart, or the pharmacy). Take pain relief as indicated on the package at the onset of pain so that the cramping does not become as unbearable. Try some hot tea, a warm compress, or a hot shower to relax the uterine muscles. Hope that works.

Answer 6

I take Advil...it seems to work. And I take hot baths. But there's not a whole lot you can do to stop the pain other then sleep so you can't feel it. The reason for the cramps and all the pain is your muscles braking up all the lining that needs to come out of you. I'm sorry, just try and get some rest... Yes I know it's hard when your in pain, but just try.

Answer 7

You cant make them go away but you can however releive the pain.
Put a heat pack near your abdomen/wherever you feel the pain.
A hot bath or shower helps.
Take as many pain thingies as you can, see a pharmasist for what pain things you can take together like I can take asprin and panadol/nerophen.(how ever you spell it.)(well I think thats what I take.) You still should see a pharmasist. to make sure I didnt get the names wrong or anything and make sure it is ok to take them together.

If it is as bad as you say it is, maybe you should just go see a doctor and if he thinks it is irregular he will put on a pill or he/she might want to give you an ultra sound or something to make sure every thing is fine.

but, warm/hot bath or shower and chocolate, pain pills, and heat pack when you arent in the bath, relax, sit down with a good book or watch your fave TV show, dont stress about anything or do anything to put you in more discomfort. and rest.

Hope this helps. :)

Answer 8

It would be helpful to know the type and dosage of the medicine you have taken. Ibuprofen 800mg 3 times a day is one of the best things you can use. Drink plenty of water and take calcium with magnesium. The calcium actually acts to relax the muscle. You won't get good relief unless it also has the magnesium in it. They work together on the muscle. You might start with 1000mg 3 times a day.

Answer 9

You need to see your dr about this to see if they can help you to figure out what is going on but in the mean time try using a heating pad and also upping the iron levels during this time by eating things like spinach, raisins, and peanut butter (if not allergic to peanuts of course).

Answer 10

If you're having such bad pains....then it's time to go to the gyno...have your female plumbing checked...just to be sure...and then either way...you can get some meds that are a wee bit stronger than over the counter midol