Help for a Preteen with Cramps

[dezimber]

For me the best thing that worked for me was Hyland's Homeopathic Menstral Cramp formula. I have not had cramps since I switched to cloth.

 

[Christine]

There was a very long, involved thread on this a few months ago where the poor teen girl was pretty much incapacitated by her cramps. Many on the board recommended birth controls pills (which contributed to the length of the thread) but quite a few also recommended using a Aleve. The posted did come back and report that they had tried the Aleve regimen and all was well!

Back in the late 70s when I first got my period and had horrible cramps which induced vomiting, I really struggled. Finally a friend told me how her doctor had prescribed Naprosyn. I got my doctor to give me some and never had another problem.

Naprosyn is now non-prescription and is Aleve. Thank god you can just go in and buy it now.

The deal is, about 2-3 days before the period starts, start taking an Aleve every 12 hours. Continue this through the first few days of the period. She may still have some mild discomfort but it will be MUCH reduced. Hopefully her period is getting regular enough that you can plan for it and take the Aleve. Even you can't, starting the Aleve as soon as you can will be a help.

Edited to add: Ibuprofen will also work using it the same way. Take it 3-4 times a day before the period actually starts. Also, with menstrual cramps, 400 mg of ibuprofen (standard dose) is usually not enough to work. My GYN says 600-800 mgs each time is the recommended dose.

 

[luvsJack]

Thanks, Christine. The dosage I was giving her may be part of the problem. The dr. tells me to take 2 Aleve for my migranes but I was only giving her one--she probably would have had a better response taking 2 instead, especially considering how bad she was hurting.

I now have a full bottle of Aleve, Ibuprofen and Mydol and heat patches and she has stopped hurting. But we are sure ready for next month!!

It seems to mainly be the first two days. I can spot it coming because of the grouchiness that makes everyone run for the hills. Next time, I will start giving her either Aleve or Ibuprofen then and we can hopefully head off some of the pain.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

aw, I feel her pain, I always had the bad cramps..throughout high school, college, finally after having DD they went away. It seemed as though every other month I would get them really bad though.

I always spent tome curled up in a ball laying in my bed.
Something that always helped me was I used to wet a rag, ring it out really good and put it in the microwave for a few seconds and then put it in a plastic ziplock bag so it was like a heating pad and lay with it on my stomach. Sometimes I'd have to do it for my back as well.

Advil always seemed to help, mydol made my heart race.
GL hope she is feeling better.

 

[Tinkh]

Just wanted to say that "prescription" strength Ibuprofen is for anti-inflammatory reasons. Too much of an NSAID is not a good thing. It is done because it is better than the alternative. A ceiling effect occurs with Ibuprofen at 400 mg. Any dose higher will not give really additional pain relief, but will help with inflammation. Hope that makes sense. Don't overdose on any medicine. Tylenol has a ceiling effect of 1000 mg. Anything over is just hurting the liver. Opioids or narcotics are what do not have a ceiling effect. They have unlimited efficacy for pain, but non-narcotics do. We really need to make it a priority to explain this to consumers. Too many people do not take these properly and do real damage that may take years to show up.

As someone mentioned, I took birth control for mine when I was a teen. Not sure how you feel about that. Also,

 

[Gigi22]

OP, I had bad cramps for years. Once your daughter is old enough to visit a GYN, you might suggest that she be checked for fibroids, which can cause painful periods.

 

[Christine]

Just wanted to say that "prescription" strength Ibuprofen is for anti-inflammatory reasons. Too much of an NSAID is not a good thing. It is done because it is better than the alternative. A ceiling effect occurs with Ibuprofen at 400 mg. Any dose higher will not give really additional pain relief, but will help with inflammation.

As you probably know, NSAIDs (Aleve, ibuprofen, and others) have anti-prostaglandin properties. That is how they reduce pain and they reduce pain in a different way than other painkillers, including Tylenol.

Before a woman starts her period her prostaglandins begin increasing day by day so that by the day the period starts, the prostaglandins are at an all-time high. These prostaglandins cause the uterus to contract. If you make too many prostaglandins, as some people do, they you get a LOT of pain. NSAIDs reduce the prostaglandins that women make before and during their periods. As such, the amount of prostaglandin that gets reduced is definitely dose related. Many women are significantly helped by 600-800 mg when 400 mg won't hardly touch the pain.

From a google search:

Prostaglandins are chemicals naturally synthesized by the body's cells. They cause smooth muscles to contract and are required for the normal functioning of a number of organs, including the uterus. Prostaglandins are the chemicals that cause the uterus to contract every month and expel its unused endometrial lining in the process known as menstruation. However, if too much prostaglandin is produced, the uterus contracts too strongly and causes painful cramps. Women who experience menstrual cramps almost always have unusually high levels of prostaglandins. Because prostaglandins affect the muscles of the intestines, they are also responsible for the diarrhea or constipation that many women experience along with their menstrual cramps

There are a number of ways to reduce the effect of prostaglandins on your body:

•Start taking anti-inflammatory drugs regularly several days before your period is due to start. Anti-inflammatory drugs act to inhibit the production of prostaglandins. If you suffer from menstrual cramps, taking these drugs regularly several days before you expect your period to begin will lower your body's production of prostaglandins and should reduce the severity of your cramps. If you wait until you are already in pain, they do not usually provide as much relief.
•Reduce your consumption of meat and dairy products. The body synthesizes prostaglandins from essential fatty acids. Series two prostaglandins, the kind responsible for uterine cramps, are synthesized primarily from fatty acids found in animal fats, so by reducing your consumption of animal fats, you can reduce your body's production of prostaglandins.
•Increase your consumption of Omega-3 fats (lineolic acid). Lineolic acid is used to manufacture series one and three prostaglandins, which have an anti-inflammatory effect and are beneficial to women who suffer from cramps. It can be found in olive oil, salmon, tuna, walnuts, grassfed meat, eggs, and dairy products, flax, soy, and leafy green vegetables such as kale or romaine lettuce.
•Reduce your consumption of trans-fats. Trans fats, which are found primarily in hydrogenated vegetable oils, inhibit the production of anti-inflammatory prostaglandins.

 

[RachaelA]

I was prescribed prescription strength ibruprofen for cramps. It didn't help unless I took them 2-3 days before my period started, but since I didn't have regular periods that wasn't possible.

I had much better luck taking 3 advil liquigel every 3-4 hours (yes its more than the dose, but its the only thing that worked). Heating pads also helped.

I missed 1-2 days of school every month from 7-12th grade because of cramps. I would wear the little sticky heating pads at school and those helped a lot too.

In the end, getting on birth control is what really helped (along with regulating my period). I didn't start BC until I was 18 and I wish I had done it sooner.

 

[cheshireqt]

Check out this article http://www.ehow.com/about_5447543_aspirin-shorten-menstrual-cycle.html
It jives with what I was told and friend was told at 2 dif gyns. Aspirin helps with the pain and can shorten the cycle. Due to her age, would not give it to her without talking to your GYN. Severe pain may require something prescription strength anyway.
Other than that I second the heating pad

 

[ahutton]

Do you have access to a hot tub? If not at home, at a gym? Or is there a YMCA in your area? The heat and massaging jets does wonders for my pain and it can be done in conjunction with taking something for pain relief.

Exercise is also good, even if it is the last thing you want to do. Maybe a relaxing yoga DVD would be an option.

 

[Friend of AP]

something else that is easy to try and has been working for me is cranberry juice. My obgyn suggested it to try. Not concentrate but straight up 100% juice. I was surprised how well it worked. I usually only feel cramping day 1 or 2 but last few months had been really bad to the point I couldnt get off the couch most of the day. She also suggested taking ibuprofen as soon as I had any indication I was starting (or about to start) to ward off pain before it hit like a mack truck.

 

[Ciciwoowoo]

I used to have really bad cramps when I was a teen. I remember reading this somewhere, and I used to do it whenever the cramps were really bad.

Stand facing a wall and bring your hands up to the opposite shoulders. Put your elbows against the wall while standing straight up. (adjust the distance from the wall so that you can stand straight up, not bent)

Tilt your pelvis in toward the wall until it is touching and hold it, while keeping the rest of your body in the position you started out with.

Count to 20 in this position, and the go back into your original position. Repeat a few times.


This would always bring some relief to my cramping. I don't know why, but hey, its something that can be done in addition to the motrin. (I would take 800 MG when I was a teen, but I'm quite sure that is too much as my tummy now has trouble with any ibuprofin product)


Hang in there!

 

[Chelley00]

Extra iron. It seriously helps with so many of the crummy side effects of that time- cramping, headaches, fatigue etc. Get a slow release iron (I like SlowFe) and have her take one every day she's on her period. HTH!

Extra iron and Vitamin B12 and B6.

 

[Agri]

Heating pad, drugs, lots of water, and walking all help me when I have bad cramps.

I'm glad you're taking her to a GYN. Its a good idea to see a specialist anyway, but especially with the bad cramps and skipping months. I didn't see one until years after I had started my period (and having bad cramps). Turns out my painful cramps weren't 'normal' and the issue has been addressed by staying on my bc. (I wouldn't recommend bc for a young child, but the point is that you never know and its better to be safe than sorry! There are worse things in the world than a pap smear.)

 

[DebbieB]

I had it bad in my teens & 20's. Ibuprofen never worked. It wasn't until my gyn gave me prescription strength Aleve (Anaprox, Naproxen 520mg) that I finally got relief. It was a godsend!

 

[Tinkh]

As you probably know, NSAIDs (Aleve, ibuprofen, and others) have anti-prostaglandin properties. That is how they reduce pain and they reduce pain in a different way than other painkillers, including Tylenol.

Before a woman starts her period her prostaglandins begin increasing day by day so that by the day the period starts, the prostaglandins are at an all-time high. These prostaglandins cause the uterus to contract. If you make too many prostaglandins, as some people do, they you get a LOT of pain. NSAIDs reduce the prostaglandins that women make before and during their periods. As such, the amount of prostaglandin that gets reduced is definitely dose related. Many women are significantly helped by 600-800 mg when 400 mg won't hardly touch the pain.

From a google search:

Yes, I am aware I wasn't going to go "scientific" but glad you did! It's my favorite thing to talk about in the whole world haha. Anyway, 400 mg on a steady basis works and is what should be adhered to until a doctor says different. 400 mg every 4-6 hours is what is recommended for when a woman has up to moderate cramps. This is a young girl and a doctor has not recommended the prescription dosage. People do it on their own all the time without the advice of their doctor and these drugs are not completely safe and there are real risks for doing so. Not letting the drug get to non-therapeutic levels in the serum is what should be tried for now. I would hate for someone to give a young girl a prescription dosage without attempting a schedule of NSAIDS at regular dosage first. Just my thoughts on the matter. Have a great day.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

I had prescription strength Aleve (Anaprox), and I would also use the Thermacare stick-on heating pads. Yoga and stretching also helps. Not to alarm you, but "killer cramps," can be a symptom of something - in my case, I was dealing with killer cramps since I was 16, and finally diagnosed with endometriosis at 18.