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Relieving Menstrual Pain - Topic Overview
Menstrual cramps can cause mild discomfort to severe pain in the lower abdomen, back, or thighs. The pain usually starts right before or in the beginning of your period. During this time, you may also have headaches, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, dizziness, or fainting.
Not every woman has menstrual pain, but it is a normal part of how the body works.
To help relieve menstrual cramps:
- Apply heat to your abdomen with a heating pad or hot water bottle, or take a warm bath. You might find that heat relieves the pain as well as medicine does.
- Lie down and elevate your legs by putting a pillow under your knees.
- Lie on your side and bring your knees up to your chest. This will help relieve back pressure.
- Try sexual activity. This may relieve pelvic cramping and backache.
- Try using sanitary napkins instead of tampons.
- Get regular exercise. You might find that it helps relieve pain.
Over-the-counter medicine usually relieves menstrual pain.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil), help relieve menstrual cramps and pain.
- Start taking the recommended dose of pain reliever when discomfort begins or 1 day before your menstrual period starts.
- Take the medicine for as long as the symptoms would normally last if you did not take the medicine.
- If an NSAID does not relieve the pain, try acetaminophen, such as Tylenol or Panadol.
Be sure to follow all labels and instructions. If you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, talk to your health professional before using any medicine. Do not take aspirin if you are younger than 20 because of the risk of Reye's syndrome.
Prescription medicine is a good choice if over-the-counter medicine does not bring you relief. Birth control hormones help relieve menstrual pain and lighten bleeding for most women.1 They also prevent pregnancy. Talk to your health professional about trying the birth control pill, patch, or ring. With most types of hormone birth control, you take the hormones every day for 3 weeks, then take a week off. This is when you might get a menstrual period. There are some types of pill that you can take over 3 months, or even every day of the year. With these, you might have unexpected spotting or bleeding, especially during the first year.
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
ENABLEX is a prescription medicine used in adults to treat the following symptoms due to a condition called overactive bladder:
- · having a strong need to go to the bathroom right away (also called "urgency")
- · leaks or wetting accidents (also called "urinary incontinence")
- · having to go to the bathroom too often (also called "urinary frequency")
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
You should not take once-daily ENABLEX if you have certain types of stomach problems, glaucoma, or have trouble emptying your bladder. Side effects of ENBLEX include blurred vision, and more commonly dry mouth, constipation, indigestion, and abdominal pain. Use caution when doing certain activities until you know how ENBALEX affects you.
VIVELLE-DOT (estradiol transdermal system) IS AVAILABLE BY PRESCRPTION ONLY.
INDICATION
Vivelle-Dot is used after menopause to: reduce moderate to severe hot flashes; treat moderate to severe dryness, itching and burning in or around the vagina; help reduce your chances of getting osteoporosis (thin weak bones); and treat certain conditions in which a young woman's ovaries do not produce enough estrogens naturally. Vivelle-Dot 0.025 mg/day is only used to prevent osteoporosis from menopause. If you use Vivelle-Dot only to treat your dryness, itching, and burning in and around your vagina or if you use Vivelle-Dot only to prevent osteoporosis from menopause, talk with your healthcare professional about whether a different treatment or medicine without estrogens might be better for you.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Estrogens increase the chances of getting cancer of the uterus (womb). Report any unusual vaginal bleeding right away while you are taking estrogens. Vaginal bleeding after menopause may be a warning sign of cancer of the uterus (womb).
Do not use estrogens with or without progestins to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes. Using estrogens with or without progestins may increase your chances of getting heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, and blood clots. Using estrogens with progestins may increase your risk of dementia (decline in memory and thinking skills).
Vivelle-Dot should not be used if you have unusual vaginal bleeding; currently have or have had certain cancers, including cancer of the breast or uterus; had a stroke or heart attack in the recent past (for example, in the past year); currently have or have had blood clots; currently have or have had liver problems; or think you may be, or know that you are, pregnant.
The most common side effects that may occur with Vivelle-Dot are headache, breast tenderness, and back pain.
You and your healthcare professional should talk regularly about whether you still need treatment with Vivelle-Dot.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see Full Prescribing Information for Vivelle-Dot.
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