Comments on: How to Relieve Menstrual Cramps

on 8/8/2006 Midol and Pamprin are chemically the same as Naproxen Sodium, which you can buy at WalMart for $4 and get 100 pills.

on 7/31/2006 Just sleep. Lay your head flat, don't use a pillow. Elevate your right foot out straight and pull your left knee into your chest (it is easier to do this on a couch). And try to think of something relaxing. You will feel better soon.

on 7/29/2006 When I'm home I like to take some pain killer and make some hot tea. Then I curl up on the couch or bed with a blanket watching some TV or have my sweetie over- that always cheers me up (laughter/smiling sends natural pain killers).

Sometimes I'll take a hot bath, but I don't get my hair wet(being cold makes it worse and I don't have the energy to dry it). I also wear something cute to make me feel better, but also something comfortable and loose.

Regular exercise and drinking water definitely helps a lot. I've also noticed that eating spicy foods, milk, caffeine, or really sweet foods makes me worse.

Sometimes I'm stuck at work, here's what I do:
I try to eat something light but filling, drink tea, lean over so my head is between my knees (helps to keep from fainting) and take pain killers.

At school try to:
Get pain killers, it's good to keep a few in your purse for such emergencies. Drink water preferably not cold. Try to avoid the greasy foods and bring your own lunch if you know you've started. if it gets really bad tell your teacher and you may be sent to the nurses office, although it isn't always comfortable to lay there on a cot. Walking around if it's hot out helps a bit as well.

Although this is what I do, it may not work for others, so find out what's best for you.

on 7/26/2006 I take 2 Advil liquid gels every 6-10 hours for the first 2 days. And I drink at least 8 glasses of water. Eating bananas helps me, too.

on 7/11/2006 I get cramps so bad that I have passed out before. Once you feel any pain, take some painkillers and have a nice, warm bath or shower. Get into something comfortable, nothing tight, and relax with a blanket in bed or in front of the TV. Try and sleep, too. Something that I have also found works quite well is rubbing your ankles.

on 6/30/2006 I find that a heat pad helps. Do not eat cold foods 2 - 3 days before your period and especially the days of. Have plenty of warm food and drinks. I always tend to have soup, it helps.

on 6/30/2006 I have the worst cramps ever, and something that helps me is take my left knee and bend it up toward my chest and keep the other one straight then lay on my side. Doing that, and all over these other tips, and you'll feel better. :)

on 2/4/2008 One of the best ways I've discovered to relieve cramps is to masturbate. Obviously you're not going to be in the mood while you're in pain...but try drawing a nice hot bath and forcing yourself to start. According to the magazine, "Wired," a woman's pain tolerance level is raised significantly when aroused. I find that it also helps relax all the muscles that are causing the pain in the first place.
One drawback is the pain comes back shortly after orgasm...so this is good while waiting for the Advil to kick in.

on 3/21/2006 When you have cramps, do not use tampons, because it makes it so much worse. Before the cramps get out of control take two Advil or two Pamprin (I find they work faster than Midol) and try to do some simple stretching. Be active, but if that hurts too much, sit on the floor and bring your knees to your chest to help relax the muscles. Hope it helps.

on 3/15/2006 For years my cramps have been debilitating. Pain beyond imagining, vomiting, lots of vomiting, cold sweats, uncontrollable shaking, panic, wishing there was a shotgun near-by and for a while naproxen sodium worked best for me though it was far from perfect. I'd take 550 mg every 6 hours for 24 hours and still experience serious pain, though it would ease it enough to prevent vomiting and maybe I could walk around enough to ease it a little more. The problem with naproxen is that its murder on the stomach. Over the years I developed an ulcer and I knew I needed to do something else. I started using heat more (the self- heating pads are wonderful) and tried dietary changes. Perhaps I didn't try hard enough or change my lifestyle enough. In any case, it wasn't working well and the naproxen started losing it's effectiveness or my cramps became super cramps or (and most likely) I just have endometriosis and I was simply getting worse. I decided (after thinking a lot about it for nearly 2 years) to take the pill. I started 5 months ago and it has worked very well for me. I still experience some mild discomfort, but that's easily remedied by using heat and getting up and moving around (housework, walking, dancing, shopping). I don't have to take any pain reliever at all in fact, which is much better for my stomach. The downside is mild side-effects from the pill, but the trade-off is absolutely worth it for me.

on 3/15/2006 I am 16 years old, and since I first got my period (age 13) I have had my period for up to 8 days! It is also very heavy! Mom saw me in a fetal position on the floor vomiting and on occasion fainting after the first cramps.

Midol does not do anything for me. It doesn't lessen the cramps or anything. No sleepiness and no relief.

Advil. The ibuprofen may be bad in the long run, but if you are like me, you really won't care at the moment. It does take some time to kick in. Any brand of ibuprofen works nicely, we just happened to have Advil, so I just call it Advil (kind of like calling a tissue a Kleenex.)

Mom put me on Alesse (birth control) and it worked nicely, the only thing is that if you have acne it says it will help fight it. I never had acne, and now I do, so I have to switch to OrthoTri Cyclen Lo (lower dosage birth control pill) and I have acne medication to apply to my affected areas (chin and forehead.) Alesse (regular dosage) reduced my period to 3 days with no Advil needed! When I switched to Tri-Cyclen Lo, my period went to 4 days, which I can handle since I don't want acne.

Do not use the patch! I used the patch before any of my pills and my period didn't end! I spotted, even if it was lightly, for 2 weeks before I decided to remove it because in another week I would be off the patch to have my period. So I would have a period for 2 weeks then a 1 week break then another 2 week period. No thanks.

I also might have Anemia, and so when I have my period I sleep a lot! The doctor also recommended Centrum Forte so that I get more iron without eating red meat (I'm no vegetarian, I just don't like red meat.) I hope I've helped someone.

on 3/13/2006 I know it sounds strange, but jazz music really helps. You know how there are channels on TV that just play music with no picture at all? Well those are good. When you have cramps, if you can get to sleep, it's great. Listening to your regular music will just stimulate your mind, and keep you from really resting.

Jazz is unpredictable (in terms of it's tune), so something is still distracting you from the pain, but you don't have the urge to sing or follow the song. It always helps me.

on 2/8/2006 When I get bad cramps, I heat up water, make myself a big jug of Chamomile tea and dip a cloth in the still hot water. Stretch out on the couch, rest the hot, wet cloth on your abdomen directly, sip your tea, and relax! The hot, wet cloth has a bit of weight, so it relieves your cramps right away!

on 2/7/2006 Some people have suggested mixing pain reliever and beer or other alcoholic beverages. Do not do this except with a very small amount of alcohol. The combination of 3+ drinks/day and aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol), or Ibuprofen may cause stomach bleeding or liver damage.

on 2/6/2006 I don't know about anyone else, but I don't like taking medication unless I really have to. The best two ways I relieved my cramps are exercising; at first, the cramps are really bad, but they quickly relax and you can get through the rest of the day without taking and medicine, or using Icy Hot or Ben-Gay patches; they stick to you all day. You don't need the whole patch, I usually cut them into strips and I put it where ever the pain is worst (my back or my abdomen).

They both work great if you don't use medicine, and they work quickly and last long (hours or days).