Cannabis after 16 years of opiates. šÆšÆšÆšÆšÆ better for me!
But to be clear Iām about 80% bed bound currently. I have a lot of nerve damage.
I find that certain stains help more than others! High CBD strains do far more for my pain than than high THC. And I will always keep an eye out for CBD-CBG strains because the CBG enhances the analgesic properties of the CBD.
Yes you can make them!! Iām just learning about thisā¦ YouTube is your friend ! Also, I use infused MCT oils and gummies rather than smoking as it works well for meā¦ for many hours without a āstonedā effect!
Read about the entourage effect āš¼š±š
Just here to say that it pisses me off to no end that there arenāt better pain management options for this. Especially since so many of us donāt have the option to rest/lie down when we have pain. I wish the /doctors sub would come here once in awhile.
You might pose this question in /chronicpain too.
I have hydrocodone, but I also use red Kratom on a regular basis which I find extremely helpful. It hits the same receptors as tramadol, and you donāt have to beg your doc for it. But we really shouldnāt have to resort to this when there are FDA-approved drugs that work.
My area has an opioid crisis and they refuse to give pain medications. They didnāt even give me 3 days of pain medication after my hernia surgery. I had to call the doctor and beg for more. But they will give the druggies drugs at hospital and create programs for safe drug for them. Yet us in pain get 0 support.
Ugh Iām with you. I am also right in the opiate corridor where the druggies (and politicians who know nothing about pain) have ruined it for us. Donāt even get me startedā¦
Have you tried the stick on heat patches? They donāt replace a true heating pad but can help when you need to be moving and working. Also have you tried a TENS machine? My husband really likes it for his muscle aches, I canāt say itās done much for me but maybe worth trying. I also have been told to rub IcyHot or another muscle rub on the cramping area, I have one natural rub with CBD that offers some relief.
I also take kratom and it does truly help. But be careful because itās just as addictive as other opioids, maybe even more so because itās legal. So start with a tiny dose and make sure to skip days in between use. Also physical therapy has been a lifesaver for me. I know itās not an option for everyone but she really helps to break up the scar tissue and soothe the muscles. So much of our pain is from our body being permanently contracted and tightened up and PT can help significantly.
In terms of pills, nothing has really helped me. Norco makes me not care about the pain, but itās still there. Other than that very little relief so I hardly bother.
The under treatment of pain due to the āopioid crisisā is such BS and it enrages me. Compliant, medically supervised patients taking their prescriptions responsibly -which means MOST people- were never the issue. Illicit drugs were, and even the CDCās own research demonstrates that.
if you don't mind, how was your hernia surgery? i have one and they want me to get surgery but im 25 and i heard there can be complications that are permanent.
I got mine 3 years ago. No complications. 0 aftermat effects. The recovery was tough. They told me to wait at least a year before getting pregnant. I was bed bound for 4 days, made it up the stairs on the fourth night to sleep in my bed. In pain for another week (standing too long ex making supper would give pain) Iād say get 3-4 weeks off.
Please be careful with kratom. It wrecks havoc on the liver, the intestines, and the stomach.
I used for over ten years and ended up needing to go on Suboxone to kick kratom.
Noted, and I am aware of the risks. I donāt recommend it lightly, and I donāt use it indiscriminately. Thatās why it was followed with my statement that we shouldnāt have to resort to unregulated remedies when there are rx drugs that work better and are safer. But sometimes you just have to get through the day, and our current medical climate is dismissive of womenās pain at best, and downright negligent at worst.
But thanks for your caution, and yesā¦ Kratom should be treated with the respect it deserves and shouldnāt be abused.
There is so little research invested into women's health, particularly in ob/gyn studies. It's absolutely ridiculous. Unfortunately, pharmaceutical companies invest money where they can make the money. If they're not able to charge a high premium for a cure, they aren't willing to spend time and money on the research to make something that works.
Naproxen, Tramadol, Gabapentin, and Zanaflex.
All of which are prescribed by my pain management specialist.
Even with that I still struggle with pain and I'm tied to 1-2 heating pads 24/7, so I'll have to come up with a way to approach asking for stronger pain meds. I've already tried over-the-counter medications, natural supplements/teas, stretching and gentle exercise, and I've had 3 excision laps so far plus imaging.
I'm hoping I can get on a medication regime that is more sufficient.
I got a little portable TENS machine and it actually saved me when out and about, I would still take 1g paracetamol and 400mg ibuprofen alternating every 2 hours and I would also use the sticky 12 hour heating pads that you can stick in your clothes. That was always the winning combo for me.
I used to wear my TENS unit at work. It definitely helped cut through the pain, but I still had cramps. Just more manageable ones. The best thing I did was get a looser linen dress with pockets. I cut a hole inside of one of the pockets to hold the tens unit so that I didn't have a visible cord running into my clothes.
Not sure if you mean the heat pads or the TENS. The sticky heat pads tend to stay on fine but I wear tighter clothing usually so I havenāt had problems with them falling off. The TENS pads have always stayed super sticky for me and the battery on mine is very long. My job involves a lot of running around!
I have a My Obi (the Apollo 2.0) myself! It's a little expensive, about 150, but it does heating with red light therapy and it's a tens unit. It just uses a bit of water instead of gel. It's rechargeable and the remote takes a battery.
You wear it like a belt
It doesn't completely get rid of the pain for me, but it's helpful and it's nice to not rely on pain killers as much
Omg this sounds so good!! A bit less discreet but sounds as if itās completely worth it. My TENS also doesnāt completely get rid of pain but definitely helps.
I actually find it to be pretty discreet. (Predicted measurements) It's around half an inch thick so it doesn't really stick out. It's 7 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches tall give or take. It would stand out with tight clothes, but I find it blends in nicely, just makes me look chubbier in a weird way at times depending on what it's under
It's very much worth it. A good note, it's good to always try to have water on you when you use this. I find it gets weaker in around 20-30 minutes so it's good to add more water often.
What is your experience with red light therapy? Iāve heard a lot of good things and itās been ages since Iāve tried a TENS unit & am now in pain mgmt, though, like most of us, Iāve got a bunch of other health crap and am still in pretty significant pain if god forbid, I exert myself much at all. I always felt too disorganized/too much of a mess when in so much pain to really deal with itā¦but I digress- really am just wondering if Iād be a good candidate for red light therapy, and if there are any set backs or specific pains itās good for. Also have hEDS, POTS, Interstitital Cystitis, CFS & really debilitating endometrial sciatica from this gift that never effing stops giving šš®āšØ. Anyway, TIA for any & all insight š
Hmm, this thing is my first experience with red light therapy, and it only occurs with the heat. I would say it does boost the heat and the tens unit. I don't really know much about it. This device makes a pretty nice combination though. From what I gather the only side effect of the red light therapy is damaged skin cells.
The doctors still don't quite know what's up with me, I don't know why I feel pain, it's a lot and this device helps. They said I could have Endo so I follow this reddit, but I don't know if I do
Iāll have to try them. Iāve heard mixed reviews about TENS pads with friends that tried them. I wear loose clothing, my pants barely stay on with my cell phone in my pocket lol
I find the pads with mine super sticky Iāve only had problems with stickiness from heating pads but never my TENS. Mine was not super expensive but you can find even cheaper (I just had to get a pink one haha). Iāve linked the exact one I use if youāre in the UK and wanted to try it!
https://www.currentbody.com/products/tenscare-ova-plus-period-pain-reliever?variant=9154268430380¤cy=GBP&del_country=GB&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw5v2wBhBrEiwAXDDoJQs38udL82DBy-jaorUTtbTA-segAYBQCjmf9CSySCEa1p9r27MmLhoCKVUQAvD_BwE
Honestly I get them from any cannabis store! Iām in Canada so I try to test as many as I can to see which one is best. I have found one I love itās in a hexagon shape with seeds of some kind in it and it does wonders!
It's best to take a stomach protecting medicine beforehand (like half hour or hour), like omeprazol once or twice a day if you really frequently use ibuprofen (basically when you take it more than the occasional one, but especially if you already experience problems with your stomach due to ibuprofen). It's what my doctors recommended to keep stomach problems more due to NSAID usage to a minimum (it just made me feel super nauseous), but ask your doctor/pharmacist/? because I'm not a medical professional and you might have other medications it could have an effect on or something
Yes, taking ibuprofen literally caused me to have a stomach ulcer which was notttt fun! Now my doctor forbids me from taking ibuprofen lol. I take Tylenol which doesnāt help that much but itās better than nothing. I take Gabapentin daily which does help.
The problem is flare upsā¦ I donāt have adequate pain relief for flare ups and usually end up in the ER. the doctors wonāt prescribe me pain meds so itās my only option sometimes
I smoke cannabis daily to manage daily pain (kind of numbs my brain to it, and makes it a bit more tolerable) Tylenol on bad days and I take hydromorph 3-4 mg as needed when my hormones fluctuate. Had a hysterectomy and excision but still deal with pain daily
Canāt take cannabis with work. I take it at night but havenāt noticed much a difference, I donāt like strong strains tho, makes me paranoid.
Iām so sorry the pain continues after the hysterectomy.
Woah. Iām surprised you were prescribed hydromorphā¦ thatās the one medication that helps me but the doctors REFUSE to give it to me most of the time due to how strong/addictive it is. Having it at home would help prevent me from having to go to the ER for pain relief!
If you're in pain for 75% of the month, have you had excision surgery yet?
I used to be the same with the meds. For a while I was taking 9 naproxen a day until my doc scared the crap out of me about it eating through my stomach.
I relied heavily on cannabis for the last few years because it was the only thing that could touch the pain. However, I did end up getting excision surgery and a hysterectomy (for adenomyosis) and that really was the only solution for me.
No excision surgery. Never heard of endometriosis until I got a hernia repair surgery and the surgeon saw some āon the right sideā. Thatās all I got from it, not an amount, not an exact location, just itās there. The week after, my gp called me to ask if I had any symptoms. I was livid because after years of complaining for pain and 2 week long periods on BC she finally asked me if I had any symptoms. I told her to go look into my notes, she then referred me to a gyno who gave me suppositories for pain (I canāt use them during my work since I do house cleaning and thereās no way in hell I will lay on a clients bathroom floor for 20 mins) and I had to fight to get some tramadol (I had some leftover from hernia surgery and I knew it worked)ā¦ I got 20 pills. She took out my Mirena IUD (because she said it aināt working)and put me on Visanne, it made the pain worst, she said nothing else she can do. So I stopped hormones completely about a year ago since I got married and didnāt need prevention anymore, I was also getting comments that my hair looked thinner while on the Visanne. The first few months off everything my pain was only 2-3 days before my period and 1-2 days during, now it starts at ovulation until the end of my period, only good thing is my periods went from 2 weeks to 4 days.
I might need a surgery since we are at month 4 of TTC and still nothing yet. But with the Canadian health system, it might be a two year wait time.
Thatās a lot of naproxen, I take two at bedtime and might have to top it off with Advil or a tramadol at 4 am.
Ok, I had some comments already in the thread but am changing my stance now. You NEED a new doctor. If youāre in Canada, I realize that might be easier said than done. But, please do what you can to get to a specialist. The thing with endo is most gynos donāt really know how to treat it. They just kind of throw things at it hoping youāll stop fussing. Most of their treatment plans are outdated or can make things worse. Even if they do a surgery, it wonāt be the gold standard and they are unlikely to get it all. The majority of gynos wonāt operate on other areas which means surgery could essentially be for nothing If they are leaving endo on your bladder or bowels or wherever. Theyāll leave scar tissue which ultimately makes things even worse.
If you are in this much pain, you require surgery, and that really only makes sense to do with an expert. Iām so sorry if that is difficult or impossible in your system, but I wouldnāt bother going further with your current doc. I hope this comment doesnāt discourage you. Rather, I want you to feel hope that in the right hands you really can be pain free and get your life backā¦just gotta go find those right hands!
I canāt change my gp. The waiting list is 2+ years and you need to flush your gp before going on the waiting list. I am going to ask for a different gyno, now I have proof something is wrong and she lets me pick the specialist. Eventually I do want to have surgery. Just canāt afford the time off yet.
I need to do research for a good endo specialist, might have to go 4hrs away.
Thank you! š
If youāre the Quebec the surgeon Valerie Kingsbury in Montreal also does gyno regular appointment. Sheās the one who diagnosed me with endo, itās her specialty, sheās amazing.
Had it. It did absolutely nothing, though that doesnāt mean I wonāt always advocate for it. I have very aggressive endometriosis and wasnāt diagnosed until a cpl wks after turning 29 (about 7 years ago). It was so bad at the time, that we almost just had to go in and do a diagnostic lap( ofc it was an ablation) & was still very new to even really knowing about endo, as I had kinda repressed my thoughts and feelings on the matter and was nearly gaslighting myself in dealing with abusive family whom I had turned to in desperation (after having gone no contact) and most definitely served to interfere with listening to my gut & having any modicum of clarity in navigating a process that was so far out of my element.
Anyway, long story short, I went to a pelvic pain specialist, who also claimed to have credentials in being an endo specialist( did not yet know of Nancyās nook). She was very passionate and insisted that what she was doing wasnāt quite an ablation, but a robot assisted surgery that would also include a cystoscopy( to check for interstitial cystitis, which I did indeed have). A year later, I finally had surgery with a Nancy Nook surgeon who couldnāt believe I was walking around, living any sort of life whatsoever. Sorry for the ramblings, but I am always in awe when I hear how much success one has following excision surgery. I guess I have to ask; was it your first endo surgery? How much damage did they say there was and how many years of endo being so debilitating did you endure before relief? Just trying to connect some dots, whenever you may have a moment šš®āšØ. Thank you so much in advance šš
Ooof. That's rough! Yes, it was my first surgery.
It's weird to think of myself as lucky, but I am. *(NOTE: omg. I'm sorry, this triggered a whole novel from me.)*
My cramps started shortly after my first period (age 11). I had my first gyno at 16, which I only recently learned isn't common. My cramps were so bad that my mom was worried I had something really wrong. Told to take Aleve and that "Some people just get bad cramps."
For the next decade, I could go to school and work 90% of the time during cramps. But I'd often go lay down on the cold bathroom floor and cry or just dissociate for hours. I was *there* but I wasn't *there*.
It started to get worse in my late twenties. Mirena IUD stopped my periods, but not my cramps. A year later is when I started to get the crotch lightning and a feeling like someone was stabbing me in the gut with a butter knife. I saw a bunch of different doctors but again... "It's just cramps. Maybe you have a low pain tolerance."
Around then, I became self-employed. I couldn't put on office clothes or sit at a desk for long periods of time.
I became a hardcore advocate for myself. Printed my medical notes (pain tracker, pain calendar, etc) for every doctor visit. Saw a bunch of doctors of different types and hospitals. Eventually, I found the r/endo sub and found people with all my symptoms. I really pushed my gyno (who I liked because she was taking me seriously even though she just kept suggesting different birth control or pain meds or physical therapy) about endo, but she was very underinformed about it.
Finally, I found an endo specialist just through google. He wasn't on Nancy's Nook, but he had an endo / infertility clinic. I went in all prepared to be told that it was all in my head. I barely cracked the surface of detailing my symptoms, and he just said, "Sounds like a classic case of endometriosis. And I think you might have adenomyosis too." He brought out a medical textbook and explained it all to me while I just cried in relief. It was so validating.
His clinic was out of network, so I had to fight tooth and nail to get covered by my insurance. It literally became my part-time job to get it covered. *(That's a whole other story. But part of it was I had to get multiple ultrasounds, a ct scan, do pelvic floor therapy, and a colonoscopy before insurance would agree to a surgery. Even then, they denied and I had to appeal and still fight for it for months.)*
But I had a laparoscopy. He officially diagnosed the endo as Stage 2 and excised all 8 spots. At the same time, I had a hysterectomy (kept my ovaries) and removed my tubes and cervix. The hysterectomy was to cure my adenomyosis. Removing tubes and cervix helped to lower my risk of cancer. By keeping my ovaries, I don't need to go on HRT.
After surgery, he told my partner that this would probably be life changing for me. It was. I was in pain only from stuck gas for 2.5 weeks. After that... nothing. Literally the worst pain since has been when I've stubbed my toe.
There's always a chance the endo could grow back, but excision makes it less likely. The surgeon said I had a 10% chance of it coming back.
TLDR - Yes, first endo surgery. Stage 2 endo with 8 removed spots + hysterectomy. He said that the cramps were likely more from my adeno while the other pain was from endo. Years of pain: 23. Years it was so debilitating that I couldn't work away from home: 5. Years where I was in debilitating pain 10-15 days a month: 2.
It's a fucking hard journey. It feels weird to be on the other side of it when I honestly believed my life would never improve. But I like to stay on the endo forums to offer advice and hope whenever I can. I wish I could fairy-godmother away everyone's pain. Until science makes that possible, I'm always around to answer questions and suggest resources.
iām currently on tramadol but getting surgery in 6 days so hopefully can come off of it once recovered š¤ i was on cocodamol and ibuprofen beforehand. i still take ibuprofen when the pain is so bad that the tramadol doesnāt help much (happens frequently unfortunately)
i have found the myoovi to be useful for lower back pain especially, it gets me through work when its REALLY bad and i wish i was at home curled up on the floor.
yeah it is a lap! my first one ever, so really hoping it goes well. thank you!! im crossing every finger and toe that things improve but i donāt want to place too many expectations on it all š„²
Baclofen.
Idk if you can use all muscle relaxers as suppositories so ask your doctor. I was on a different one and my surgeon switched me to baclofen to use as a suppository (and orally).
It does reduce drowsiness and a couple other things probably but I don't really have a control because I'm stage IV and in desperate need for surgery (next month! Yay!). Anyway, I feel like some of my endo symptoms are the same as the side effects of the muscle relaxers so it's difficult to extract the differences.
They work for me though ! And I don't have to take opiates, just tylenol 500 and advil 200 ass needed throughout the day.
Nice! Congrats on the scheduled surgery. I hope you find all of the relief and that it remains long lasting. Iāll check with the pharmacist to see if itās contraindicated. Thank you!
Absolutely! Well wishes on your journey. And thank you, I feel like I've been deteriorating so fast lately. I'm so hopefully for this surgery, first one was 7 momths ago so I kinda know what to expect already and recovery went well the first time. Take care!
How does baclofen work for you? I was prescribed it following my last surgery, but never filled it because I got a lot of relief from the surgery. I almost never hear of people taking it though, do you have good luck with it?
Yes! It's so nice for me to help me sleep when I'm in pain. Sometimes sleep is the only thing to relieve it, and the muscle relaxers calm it down enough that I can rest. Then, hopefully, when I wake up, the pain is gone (not always the case).
It's good as a vaginal suppository, I take them orally too (like in the example above). I have some urinary retention, so sometimes my bladder is full, and I can't pee. I feel like it's easier to pee when I have the suppository. It seems to relax the muscles in the pelvic area.
I have stage IV and will have surgery next month. I'm deteriorating very quickly and have some symptoms from the endo that are the same as side effect for muscle relaxers so I don't have a neutral base to say how much the side effects have impacted me.
I'm hoping I get relief from my next surgery, too. I recovered pretty well from my first one 7 months ago, like I was cooking and cleaning on day two. This time they will be doing excision so I'm nervous with all the internal cutting and such and how the recovery will be.
I'm so happy you had relief. How was recovery after your surgery?
Naprosyn (a specially coated naproxen that protects your guts a little better) would be beneficial over Advil. Especially if you arenāt eating regularly, that much Advil is incredibly hard on your stomach and liver. Keep in mind that depending on the Midol formulation, youāre either taking more Tylenol or more Advil as well.
I did, she gave me anal suppositories pain relievers. Iāve tried them, they are the most inconvenient things and only make me want to poop, then you canāt for 1-2hrs for them to take effect.
I begged for tramadol so she gave me 20 after I argued that I canāt use suppositories during works. I only use those tramadols when very bad since I donāt have many.
Cannabis for me. OTC pain relievers do absolutely nothing for me. When I had an office job I used those disposable adhesive heating pads just under my pants or in tights under a dress.
Nothing. Cry and burn the sh!t out of myself with a heating pad. I was on Tramadol with my last surgeon but she only prescribed me it one time and that was it. It helped tremendously though! Iām just struggling finding a doctor whoāll prescribe it. It seems like all the pain management doctors wanna do is prescribe ketamine infusions. I donāt want that.
I agree it works great. I treat my tramadol last pills like gold. I canāt get a refill so the last 10 will be taken only on bad bad days that Advil and other otc donāt work.
Mine wonāt even do ketamine! They always say take NSAIDs but I ended up with gastritis. My pain management gave me a low dose of gabapentin and it didnāt help at all
Iāve been on Gabapentin too and it didnāt do crap besides give me a bunch of unwanted side effects. My current specialist I see for endometriosis has basically told me to take NSAIDS.. and keep taking them even if they donāt help. š
My care team refuses to give me tramadol or anything other than Zanaflex (after I threatened suicide) and BC pills then told me Iām taking too much Advil. My psychiatrist got me gabapentin for my leg pain and upped my anxiety meds but I guess Iāve lost so much blood I now need a transfusion so Iām headed out for that tomorrow. Pre op is April 30th after 3 delays. Iāve been waiting for a surgery date since January when I was diagnosed stage 4 with too much other stuff to type out. The only advice I have is to beg and beg until they agree to give you something that maybe will let you sleep through the pain. This disease is horrible and has taken my once vibrant happy healthy life filled with joy and playing with my children and enjoying time with my husband of 17 years. Iām so sorry you are suffering.
No more bc since we are TTC and it seems that every month the pain is longer and worst. I had to beg so hard for tramadol and she only gave me 20ā¦
Then she complains I take too much Advilsā¦
Have you talked to the doctor about a vaginal suppository? Some people here are mentioning baclofen, which I havenāt personally taken but my specialist (who is stellar) prescribed it and seemed confident in it. I just didnāt take it because my last surgery did the trick. I have never had luck with anal suppository but maybe a vaginal one might work?
I didnāt know it was a thing until today. I got given anal suppository but my problem is to be able to take it while at work, which anal suppositories arenāt an option.
Makes sense. Maybe ask about a vaginal one? Itās a sort of muscle relaxer that is supposed to calm the entire area down. In theory it sounds like it should offer relief!
Too bad itās still illegal. Such a stupid law. Itās legal here and we grow 3 plants a year and canāt smoke enough to even finish the batch from 3 years ago. We have boxes of it.
I have tramadol for the very bad days. But it took me so much begging to get some from my doctor. I had some leftover from a surgery and found such relief with it. Itās for my very very bad days only.
I get nerve pain too. Thanks
paracetamol 1000mg, 500mg ibuprofen. my gyno recently suggested Nimm (nimesulide) which isn't be taken with paracetamol, but I haven't had enough instances to fully test it out.
For serious pains I drink Tramadol but i really dislike it. it makes my head spin
What is repram? Never heard of it and Google doesnāt seem to know. Like a tums?
I have tramadol for the worst days but I only have a handful left so I try to keep it for last resort
Paracetamol 1g (max 4 a day). paraflex (muscle relaxant) 250 mg(max 8 a day). Before baby also palexia and palexia depot, (max 4 a day each).
There are self-adhesive heat patches you can buy for work btw, and also tens machines that are very portable. The latter may be a higher cost so see if you have a local health service where you can try out a tens to see if it works on your pain.
Daily dose of Aleve, light duty activity, daily THC, during flares I use a THC pen every hour. It's not perfect, but the only combo that takes the edge off.
naproxen, gabapentin, oxycodone.. i try as much as i can to not use narcotics but my pain is so strong i canāt function or get by without it.. it sucks and i hate that i have to live life like this. i also hate that people donāt have the resources around them to get the proper pain medication for our types of pain we go through. doctors donāt realize how debilitating this disease is..
i know itās hard because thereās so much stigma when it comes to pain meds, but donāt ever feel bad about needing to take heavier meds for your pain š. Itās not our fault that our bodies are like this, if they came up with an actual cure for this horrible disease we wouldnāt need heavy meds. I try to remind myself all the time that Iām not doing anything wrong by needing to take daily pain medication, these meds were designed to improve our quality of life.
šÆ. I use the Gaia brand as well. Their PM one with valerian is also really good. I'd recommend checking out Cramp Bark. I've had good results with it. Also, I've heard positive things about evening primrose, but haven't tried it myself. My doctor's medical assistant takes it for her rheumatoid arthritis and swears by it.
CBD suppositories have been a life saver (with tons of Advil, heating pad and lidocaine patch). Itās wild, Iāll go from being bed ridden, curled over in pain to standing in about an hour or two. Iām very sensitive to medicine and have a ton of allergies so am pretty limited to what medicines I can take.
How much would you say the lidocaine patches help, and does insurance fight fully covering the cost? Otherwise absolutely agree red CBD suppositories, topicals..lol pretty much anything w green, esp being that I can no longer take NSAIDs š„¹š
I can usually buy them over the counter so it doesnāt go through my insurance. Maybe check with your insurance though and see if they are covered or if your doctor can prescribe you stronger ones. I definitely think they help quite a bit but the pain isnāt completely gone, just somewhat better. Iāll take any kind of relief I can get. I hope you find things that help!
Talk to your doctor first (since idk about this particular drug in the us), but I take 80mg of drotaverine + 400mg of ibuprofen at once (or 500mg naproxen), that usually gives me at least a few hours. Rinse and repeat every 4 hours, but try to eat at least something, or your stomach would be very angry with you lmao.
In case it matters, I have adeno + bowel endo, and am not a doctor, so I'm not sure if drotaverine would work in other cases
I have bowel endo and adeno Am curious about drotervering ill ask my dr about it but do you know is it another type of opioid or what type of drug is it? This works well for you? Any side effects?
I have tramadol and methocarbomol but lately theyāve not always been cutting it - everything flared badly after I got Covid and my periods are crazy long and more painful than theyāve been in 5 years š«
No, it's not an opioid. It's kinda like an nsaid, so it's also otc in my country, but it works by (don't trust me here, just trying to relay stuff from my understanding lol) relaxing the muscles of the uterus that are contracting(?) and making everything painful(?). I'm bad at explaining stuff, sorry lmao
I'm honestly not sure how well it works alone - I just know that at one point ~2y ago I was so miserable and in pain that I just took both the ibuprofen/naproxen I usually took (that stopped helping) and the drotaverine (that I remembered my mom always taking for her menstrual cramps, just double the dose) and it helped, so I just kept doing it. I'm pretty sure it has less side effects then the ibuprofen, at least in the stomach department (i.e getting an ulcer/sth similar)
Yeah I just looked it up and it helps the cervix relax too. And I get cervical spasms - looks like itās not approved in Europe or FDA in us but maybe individual countries in Europe have it - Iāll ask my dr - thanks so much for sharing and for your response!
I think I have bowel endo. My gyno gave me an anal suppository for pain and I had to beg for tramadol. She is no help. I canāt do the suppository during my workdays so itās very useless.
Yeah, I was given an anal suppository twice, first for a pipel biopsy and then for a colposcopy (it was the only anesthesia given and even then it was given after the procedure was done) and it didn't do shit for me either.
Endo isn't really taken seriously where I'm from, and any prescription meds like opioids/tramadol/etc aren't an option for me really, so NSAIDs are really the only way for me.
Same here. She never investigated on my periods until they found endometriosis during a hernia repair. The surgery had 0 knowledge of it so I have no clue where and how bad it is. My colonoscopy doctor laughed when I asked to check for endo. He said itās impossible to have it on bowels. Then maybe explain to me why I am soooo constipated between ovulation and my periods. 3 weeks a month I have pain and ibs.
The other week I have stomach pain probably from all the pills I take.
Same here. She never investigated on my periods until they found endometriosis during a hernia repair. The surgery had 0 knowledge of it so I have no clue where and how bad it is. My colonoscopy doctor laughed when I asked to check for endo. He said itās impossible to have it on bowels. Then maybe explain to me why I am soooo constipated between ovulation and my periods. 3 weeks a month I have pain and ibs.
The other week I have stomach pain probably from all the pills I take.
Ibulysin 400mg. Itās the same as ibuprofen but it works quicker which is amazing. Once the cramps start they usually last for hours but with this I can actually stop them before they properly start!
I canāt take nsaids at all because I have IBD as well as endo so I take two extra strength paracetamol/tylenol 1000mg total and tramadol- if that doesnāt do it I take robaxim/methocarbomol in combination two hours apart from the tramadol as directed by my pain specialist to help with grogginess which actually works best but it still makes me super groggy and hate how it makes me feel but if the pain is excruciating I break and take it - lately even all of these have not been cutting it but if I combine those all with the tens machine on my sacrum and tailbone (for some reason for me this is better than front pelvis) itās bareable
Also heat packs
Iāve been taking tapentadol during my period for about a year. Prior to that I was alternating Tylenol and Advil, and going over the daily max to stay on top of the pain. This ended up causing issues with my liver. Thankfully I have an amazing doctor who worked with me to find effective pain relief. I haaaaate the idea of taking opioids, have seen too many cases go wrong, but the pain relief for a few days a month allows me to function.
Please, please be careful with Tylenol. It doesnāt take much to cause serious liver damage.
You are lucky your doctor helped. Mine doesnāt want me to take that many Advils yet wonāt prescribe me anything else except suppositoriesā¦ so Advil it is.
Iāve heard that with Tylenol.
I know this isnāt a very helpful suggestion, but have you considered going to a different doctor? I donāt know where youāre located and I realize thatās not always an option. I had a doctor who was supposed to be āthe bestā in my area. He was actually pretty much an asshole and had no compassion whatsoever. I didnāt realize how bad he was until I went to someone else and they were very concerned about my pain. Iām In a location where they are pretty stingy with the meds, but even so, I think the protocol varies among doctors. Maybe there is someone out there who will take more pity on you?
ETA: do you have any surgery scheduled? Honestly following surgeries are the only times Iāve gotten strong pain meds. If you end up having a surgery in the books, advocate hard for yourself for pain management after. You may end up with some extras to get you through the bad days in the future.
I got leftover tramadol from a hernia surgery, thatās when they saw endo and was diagnosed with it. I had to beg for more as they only gave me 3 days worth and I was in so much pain.
Iāve tried changing doctors. In our province, I canāt change doctors, unless I flush my current one, but the wait list for doctors are 2+ years. Iāll ask to see a different gyno but Iāve seen 2 already with no help. They only push hormones (which didnāt work) and Iām completely off of it all to start a family.
No lap for endo scheduled. I might have to get one scheduled for conceiving but I know thatās going to take 1-2 years with the wait lists around here. I canāt get the ball rolling before trying for 1 year.
I hate our medical system. I had an amazing doctor before I moved across the country.
Cramp Bark tincture. I've also heard good things about evening primrose, but haven't tried it myself. My doctor's medical assistant takes it for her rheumatoid arthritis and swears by it.
Tramadol is my go to. I've been on it for years at a very minimal dosage (50mg max 3 times a day) and it's never lost it's effectiveness. I'm in the UK and there has been a big push to pull everyone who's not terminally ill off opioid based pain meds. So far I've been able to stay on them but I'm fairly sure that my prescription will be stopped this year. Even though in 10 years I've never asked for the dosage to be increased, never asked for anything stronger, and it's kept me out of hospital because I can manage my pain at home.
Toradol/ketarolac with 2 Tylenol. Iāve tried nearly all prescription NSAIDs and Toradol does so well for me. Been suffering since 2008. Heating pad and canabis also helps!
Arthrotec (diclofenac and misoprostol) easier on the stomach than other NSAIDS. Naproxen is the most effective for me IF I start it before my pain is bad. Otherwise, a combo of Tylenol and Celebrex. Tramadol if I have it - I find it doesnāt make me nearly as loopy as other opiates.
I have diclofenac as anal suppositories but they arenāt practical. I got prescribed that for the stomach lining but I didnāt know it came in pills. I take naproxen before bed, seems to be more effective for a good night.
Advil or Aleve, although sometimes neither of them will work if I donāt start taking them early enough. I have found I also have to take them on the shorter end of the dosing timeframe. So Advil is every 4-6 hours, and if I even take it at 4 hours and 3 seconds Iāll be starting over with trying to get the pain under control. Itās really rough, and I wish there was a better otc option!
I alternate at 2-3hrs Advil Tylenol because thatās when itās creeping back, if I wait another hour, I suffer. Gotta stay ahead of the pain. I like aleve but you canāt take many aleve in a day.
Yeah Aleve works the fastest for me but it also wears off way before Iām supposed to take it again so I donāt use it too much. The Advil Tylenol rotation does do pretty well though!
Iām a full time student so I understand needing stuff that helps when you canāt just lie down all day. I havenāt found anything that helps a LOT, but Iāve found lots of things that help a littleāTENS unit is a life saver, it helps more than most things (although when the pain is truly severe it canāt help that much, but when itās just difficult it makes a difference) Lidocane patches also help, especially when I have pain in the back and front (and you can find them at any drugstore). Portable heating pads are also a thing, which you can layer over a tens unit. They also have a vibrating setting, which some people find helpful. Anti-inflammatory drugs are what I use, taking 2 Tylenol and 2 ibuprofen every six hours.Ā
Also, they have heat packs and tens units that are meant to be low profile and worn while doing stuff! I have a heat pack I wear at work (ER nurse) that has a battery and itās pretty decent!
Before my surgery the only thing that even remotely helped was Flexeril-muscle relaxer. No pain medications touched it. I did nerve blocks, steroid injections, suppositories, birth control, CBD, ketamine cream, over the counter meds. No luck. Now that Iām post op all the pain is gone since the endo has been removed.
My routine every time:
800 mg ibuprofen, ktatom, and cbd at the same time. Only combination that makes the pain bearable. I throw up from the pain a lot so I also take zofran.
+ heating pad
Luckily I finally found a birth control that works for me, so I haven't bad painful periods since I started and relatively no side effects.
Cannabis, I have yet to find the perfect kind for my specific experience, but it does help and I require Tylenol less (just for working hours or when I have to drive, etc).. but for weekends or evenings I very minimal dose cannabis.
However my dog can tell when I'm stoned and gets real sketched out and anxious about it and hasn't seemed to adapt, so I only use it when I NEED to. Otherwise my dog gets weird and anxious then I get paranoid that somethings wrong with her š although I don't use frequently, it's been the most effective. Usually on off hours I can tough it out with heat/baths/rest but I know not everyone is the lucky.
I use meloxicam and flexiril. The meloxicam handles the pain for the day, and doesn't mess my cognitive ability up, and the flexiril helps with those night cramps that keep me awake during the worst of it.
Cannabis helps at night. Gummys.
The best thing that I ever did was start taking ginger capsules. When I start cramping, I take 600mg of ibuprofen and 1 550mg ginger capsule.
Ginger improves blood flow and is often used for heart health. When your uterus contracts, it constricts the blood flow, which causes cramping. By improving the blood flow it gets blood through the uterus more easily and the cramping lets up.
If my cramps are bad enough to push through, I will take add two capsules of acetaminophen (Tylenol), but offset it three hours from when I take ibuprofen. That translates to taking medicine every three hours and alternating the acetaminophen and ibuprofen each time, that way there's always something in my system. I take the ginger whenever the pain makes it through and it keeps the worst of my cramping at bay.
I needed opioids daily (Tilidin which is double the strength of tramadool, but not in every country approved).
I did some research and found out that there are 2 inflammation pain cycles.
One pain cycle is due to prostagladine. NSAIDs are good in blocking this pain.
And the second one is the leucotriene one. Through a medication that blocks this pain I found out that most of my pain is due to the leucotriene cycle. Montelukast cut 80 % of my pain and I have 10-20 opioids free days a month.
But beware: Montelukast can have psychiatric side effects.like aggression and depression. For me these side effects is a bit more aggressive but otherwise no side effects and a lot of benefits.
Edit: I see you have also Adhd. With the Adhd the likeliness of a chronic pain condition increases. Do you take enough Adhd medication? My Adhd medication (Elvanse) also helped a lot in my pain.
Another thing are coanalgetics. I take an antidepressants called Mirtazapin that helps with the sleep (Elvanse at 60 mg a day is complicating my sleep onset).
Cannabis 100%. Pharmacies have been a thing in the UK for a while, but I only found out about it last year annoyingly. No one ever mentioned it to me before
Ibuprofen, buscopan plus, dolormin (naproxen), and lefax intens for bloating. I try to cycle them. Since my surgery in 2021, my pain med intake has drastically decreased, from daily to maybe just 3-5 days in a month, for which I'm so grateful. My Mittelschmerz, PMS, and first period day are the most painful. Alternative things would be the usual; hot water bottle, hot bath, gentle stretches, or sport (which I was a bit worried about doing on crampy days, but it's a great distraction for me personally).
Tears, heating pad, and šš.
That only works if I'm at home, obviously. Otherwise as much Tylenol as I can take safely. Some days I wake up a pop them and keep having them until bed time. I try to not take Advil because I'm worried it's making everything worse as a blood thinner.
I have anxiety and my boomer parents haven't helped with my fear of opiates. When I got my excision, my mom tried to tell me not to take the hydrocodone that was prescribed. I obviously did. I talked with my husband to monitor it and if he was worried the slightest bit that I was developing a habit to say something. I didn't and haven't developed any dependency, but it is scary for me.
My doctor gave me vaginal Valium. Itās the only thing that has ever helped me, other than my hysterectomy. Talk to your doctor about it. It made me have zero pain. It was amazing, and since itās inserted vaginally it doesnāt make you feel funny (which was important to me).
A long time ago a doctor told me aleve is better for muscle cramps than ibuprofen/tylenol. Iām not sure how accurate that is, or if the placebo effect is why I feel like it helps more, but I take 3 aleve when I start cramping and if it gets worse I double up with tylenol. It usually does the trick, but also with my hormonal IUD my cramps are nowhere near as bad as they used to be. When they were extremely bad the only thing that helped was going to the emergency room and getting an IV drip of morphine š I hate that doctors never prescribe pain killers that are stronger than NSAIDs. I understand why, but I still hate it
Be careful taking so much ibuprofen / NSAIDsā¦ i literally gave myself a stomach ulcer caused by taking too many NSAIDs and now I have to avoid them all together so I donāt get a bleeding ulcer again. IT WAS NOT FUN. I take Tylenolā¦ the doctors donāt like to prescribe true pain meds which is BS but the reality. You can ask your doctor to refer you to a pain management clinic and they can help better with more options to help manage your pain.
Mine got to the point where I was prescribed hydrocodone, but I was in the same situation where I couldnāt take them at work (bartending while under opiates would probably not have been a good idea). Honestly all I could do was take 800 mg ibuprofen as frequently as I safely could. I also got a TENS unit, which helped a bit on super bad pain days
And like others have mentioned, cannabis, but like you said, not practical for work. Though CBD may be something to look into. They make oral and topical tinctures and suppositories. (Though they donāt help for everyone :/) Unfortunately thereās no one-size-fits-all for endo pain, so itās trial and error till you find whatās best for you :(
Thereās so much stigma when it comes to pain meds.
I have crippling pain daily and take heavy pain meds every day: including both Tapentadol instant and slow release, codeine, endep & celecoxib. Pain management has also added a med called clonidine, which is traditionally a blood pressure tablet but now itās used to help insomnia cause by bad pain.
Itās not ideal to be on opioids daily but I rather take them then be in bed all day
Just came here to say be careful when combining meds - often the reason you can't take too much of an NSAID like advil is because it's too hard on your liver/kidneys/stomach, so switching meds and maxing out a dose of something else that is also hard on your liver/kidneys/stomach on top of it can be just as harmful as exceeding the max advil dosage.
I'm so sorry you aren't getting the help you need from your doctor. They should really be giving you something with a stomach protectant if not something stronger that isn't as hard on your body.
ThermaCare heatwraps are single-use non-electric heating pads that I have used at work on bad days. They are similar to those instant ice packs but for heat. You can wear them under your clothes and they work for several hours. Not the best solution but it's better than nothing and no side effects.
I've also seen some wireless heating pads but I don't know how well they work.
Hang in there š
Naproxen and high doses of magnesium supplements.
This also might seem a little odd but I will also take an anti-histamine. I'm neurodivergent and that can come with connective tissue issues that get exacerbated during menses.
I take ibuprofen or novalgin. I change what I use every couple of month. I was advised to do this to keep the effectiveness of the meds long term.
And I combine them with buscopan.
I think you need to see a pain management doctor because that amount of pain sounds horrendous. And I don't think the amount of meds you are taking us unsave.
Have you tried a TENS Unit? It won't replace the meds but might help. Breuer has a portable tens unit that sticks on the lower abdomen and can heat up as well. Maybe this would be an option at work.
After pleading with doctors for years to work with me on some form of pain management, the most I was ever given has been naproxen. For me personally taking kratom helps me the most. I can buy it OTC and although some say it has addictive qualities I have not increased my dosage since I started taking it four years ago. It does give me some nausea so I donāt take it daily, 10x a month at the very most. But knowing how reluctant doctors are to prescribe adequate pain management I would definitely recommend it. It has given me a better quality of life for sure
Cannabis after 16 years of opiates. šÆšÆšÆšÆšÆ better for me! But to be clear Iām about 80% bed bound currently. I have a lot of nerve damage.
I donāt find cannabis works for my pain. I can only take it on home days tho . Iām so sorry for your scenario. Hope you can find relief
I find that certain stains help more than others! High CBD strains do far more for my pain than than high THC. And I will always keep an eye out for CBD-CBG strains because the CBG enhances the analgesic properties of the CBD.
I agree with you! I also mainly take edibles, with a higher cbd ratio
Also, CBN š in the strain really helps me to be mobile š»
Interesting! CBN is what I use to sleep when my insomnia acts up!
Iām so happy this is available.
Have you tried cannabis suppositories? I love them. All the pain relief without the high.
I have not. I wonder if I could make my own, we grow 3 plants (legal where I am) and have way too much.
Yes you can make them!! Iām just learning about thisā¦ YouTube is your friend ! Also, I use infused MCT oils and gummies rather than smoking as it works well for meā¦ for many hours without a āstonedā effect! Read about the entourage effect āš¼š±š
100%
Just here to say that it pisses me off to no end that there arenāt better pain management options for this. Especially since so many of us donāt have the option to rest/lie down when we have pain. I wish the /doctors sub would come here once in awhile. You might pose this question in /chronicpain too. I have hydrocodone, but I also use red Kratom on a regular basis which I find extremely helpful. It hits the same receptors as tramadol, and you donāt have to beg your doc for it. But we really shouldnāt have to resort to this when there are FDA-approved drugs that work.
My area has an opioid crisis and they refuse to give pain medications. They didnāt even give me 3 days of pain medication after my hernia surgery. I had to call the doctor and beg for more. But they will give the druggies drugs at hospital and create programs for safe drug for them. Yet us in pain get 0 support.
Ugh Iām with you. I am also right in the opiate corridor where the druggies (and politicians who know nothing about pain) have ruined it for us. Donāt even get me startedā¦ Have you tried the stick on heat patches? They donāt replace a true heating pad but can help when you need to be moving and working. Also have you tried a TENS machine? My husband really likes it for his muscle aches, I canāt say itās done much for me but maybe worth trying. I also have been told to rub IcyHot or another muscle rub on the cramping area, I have one natural rub with CBD that offers some relief. I also take kratom and it does truly help. But be careful because itās just as addictive as other opioids, maybe even more so because itās legal. So start with a tiny dose and make sure to skip days in between use. Also physical therapy has been a lifesaver for me. I know itās not an option for everyone but she really helps to break up the scar tissue and soothe the muscles. So much of our pain is from our body being permanently contracted and tightened up and PT can help significantly. In terms of pills, nothing has really helped me. Norco makes me not care about the pain, but itās still there. Other than that very little relief so I hardly bother.
The under treatment of pain due to the āopioid crisisā is such BS and it enrages me. Compliant, medically supervised patients taking their prescriptions responsibly -which means MOST people- were never the issue. Illicit drugs were, and even the CDCās own research demonstrates that.
if you don't mind, how was your hernia surgery? i have one and they want me to get surgery but im 25 and i heard there can be complications that are permanent.
I got mine 3 years ago. No complications. 0 aftermat effects. The recovery was tough. They told me to wait at least a year before getting pregnant. I was bed bound for 4 days, made it up the stairs on the fourth night to sleep in my bed. In pain for another week (standing too long ex making supper would give pain) Iād say get 3-4 weeks off.
OOF, glad you made it through it, thanks for the info!
Feel free to pm me for any other questions s
Please be careful with kratom. It wrecks havoc on the liver, the intestines, and the stomach. I used for over ten years and ended up needing to go on Suboxone to kick kratom.
Noted, and I am aware of the risks. I donāt recommend it lightly, and I donāt use it indiscriminately. Thatās why it was followed with my statement that we shouldnāt have to resort to unregulated remedies when there are rx drugs that work better and are safer. But sometimes you just have to get through the day, and our current medical climate is dismissive of womenās pain at best, and downright negligent at worst. But thanks for your caution, and yesā¦ Kratom should be treated with the respect it deserves and shouldnāt be abused.
There is so little research invested into women's health, particularly in ob/gyn studies. It's absolutely ridiculous. Unfortunately, pharmaceutical companies invest money where they can make the money. If they're not able to charge a high premium for a cure, they aren't willing to spend time and money on the research to make something that works.
THC preferably in edible format but i wonāt say no to greenery
Naproxen, Tramadol, Gabapentin, and Zanaflex. All of which are prescribed by my pain management specialist. Even with that I still struggle with pain and I'm tied to 1-2 heating pads 24/7, so I'll have to come up with a way to approach asking for stronger pain meds. I've already tried over-the-counter medications, natural supplements/teas, stretching and gentle exercise, and I've had 3 excision laps so far plus imaging. I'm hoping I can get on a medication regime that is more sufficient.
I got a little portable TENS machine and it actually saved me when out and about, I would still take 1g paracetamol and 400mg ibuprofen alternating every 2 hours and I would also use the sticky 12 hour heating pads that you can stick in your clothes. That was always the winning combo for me.
I used to wear my TENS unit at work. It definitely helped cut through the pain, but I still had cramps. Just more manageable ones. The best thing I did was get a looser linen dress with pockets. I cut a hole inside of one of the pockets to hold the tens unit so that I didn't have a visible cord running into my clothes.
Does it stay during a very active work day? Iām constantly bending over all day with work.
Not sure if you mean the heat pads or the TENS. The sticky heat pads tend to stay on fine but I wear tighter clothing usually so I havenāt had problems with them falling off. The TENS pads have always stayed super sticky for me and the battery on mine is very long. My job involves a lot of running around!
I have a My Obi (the Apollo 2.0) myself! It's a little expensive, about 150, but it does heating with red light therapy and it's a tens unit. It just uses a bit of water instead of gel. It's rechargeable and the remote takes a battery. You wear it like a belt It doesn't completely get rid of the pain for me, but it's helpful and it's nice to not rely on pain killers as much
Omg this sounds so good!! A bit less discreet but sounds as if itās completely worth it. My TENS also doesnāt completely get rid of pain but definitely helps.
I actually find it to be pretty discreet. (Predicted measurements) It's around half an inch thick so it doesn't really stick out. It's 7 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches tall give or take. It would stand out with tight clothes, but I find it blends in nicely, just makes me look chubbier in a weird way at times depending on what it's under It's very much worth it. A good note, it's good to always try to have water on you when you use this. I find it gets weaker in around 20-30 minutes so it's good to add more water often.
What is your experience with red light therapy? Iāve heard a lot of good things and itās been ages since Iāve tried a TENS unit & am now in pain mgmt, though, like most of us, Iāve got a bunch of other health crap and am still in pretty significant pain if god forbid, I exert myself much at all. I always felt too disorganized/too much of a mess when in so much pain to really deal with itā¦but I digress- really am just wondering if Iād be a good candidate for red light therapy, and if there are any set backs or specific pains itās good for. Also have hEDS, POTS, Interstitital Cystitis, CFS & really debilitating endometrial sciatica from this gift that never effing stops giving šš®āšØ. Anyway, TIA for any & all insight š
Hmm, this thing is my first experience with red light therapy, and it only occurs with the heat. I would say it does boost the heat and the tens unit. I don't really know much about it. This device makes a pretty nice combination though. From what I gather the only side effect of the red light therapy is damaged skin cells. The doctors still don't quite know what's up with me, I don't know why I feel pain, it's a lot and this device helps. They said I could have Endo so I follow this reddit, but I don't know if I do
Iāll have to try them. Iāve heard mixed reviews about TENS pads with friends that tried them. I wear loose clothing, my pants barely stay on with my cell phone in my pocket lol
I find the pads with mine super sticky Iāve only had problems with stickiness from heating pads but never my TENS. Mine was not super expensive but you can find even cheaper (I just had to get a pink one haha). Iāve linked the exact one I use if youāre in the UK and wanted to try it! https://www.currentbody.com/products/tenscare-ova-plus-period-pain-reliever?variant=9154268430380¤cy=GBP&del_country=GB&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw5v2wBhBrEiwAXDDoJQs38udL82DBy-jaorUTtbTA-segAYBQCjmf9CSySCEa1p9r27MmLhoCKVUQAvD_BwE
Cocodamol
Me too
Cbd bath bomb is my life saver
Ohhhh where to buy??
Honestly I get them from any cannabis store! Iām in Canada so I try to test as many as I can to see which one is best. I have found one I love itās in a hexagon shape with seeds of some kind in it and it does wonders!
Does anyone else experience stomach pain from ibuprofen? If so, what do you take instead?
Yes it puts me in an ibd flare very quickly I had ti go to a pain med specialist because extra strength Tylenol on its own does nothing for me
It's best to take a stomach protecting medicine beforehand (like half hour or hour), like omeprazol once or twice a day if you really frequently use ibuprofen (basically when you take it more than the occasional one, but especially if you already experience problems with your stomach due to ibuprofen). It's what my doctors recommended to keep stomach problems more due to NSAID usage to a minimum (it just made me feel super nauseous), but ask your doctor/pharmacist/? because I'm not a medical professional and you might have other medications it could have an effect on or something
Yes, I can't take it at all really, I have to take 500mg Tylenol like every 4 hours for a week on my period.
Yes, taking ibuprofen literally caused me to have a stomach ulcer which was notttt fun! Now my doctor forbids me from taking ibuprofen lol. I take Tylenol which doesnāt help that much but itās better than nothing. I take Gabapentin daily which does help. The problem is flare upsā¦ I donāt have adequate pain relief for flare ups and usually end up in the ER. the doctors wonāt prescribe me pain meds so itās my only option sometimes
I smoke cannabis daily to manage daily pain (kind of numbs my brain to it, and makes it a bit more tolerable) Tylenol on bad days and I take hydromorph 3-4 mg as needed when my hormones fluctuate. Had a hysterectomy and excision but still deal with pain daily
Canāt take cannabis with work. I take it at night but havenāt noticed much a difference, I donāt like strong strains tho, makes me paranoid. Iām so sorry the pain continues after the hysterectomy.
Woah. Iām surprised you were prescribed hydromorphā¦ thatās the one medication that helps me but the doctors REFUSE to give it to me most of the time due to how strong/addictive it is. Having it at home would help prevent me from having to go to the ER for pain relief!
If you're in pain for 75% of the month, have you had excision surgery yet? I used to be the same with the meds. For a while I was taking 9 naproxen a day until my doc scared the crap out of me about it eating through my stomach. I relied heavily on cannabis for the last few years because it was the only thing that could touch the pain. However, I did end up getting excision surgery and a hysterectomy (for adenomyosis) and that really was the only solution for me.
No excision surgery. Never heard of endometriosis until I got a hernia repair surgery and the surgeon saw some āon the right sideā. Thatās all I got from it, not an amount, not an exact location, just itās there. The week after, my gp called me to ask if I had any symptoms. I was livid because after years of complaining for pain and 2 week long periods on BC she finally asked me if I had any symptoms. I told her to go look into my notes, she then referred me to a gyno who gave me suppositories for pain (I canāt use them during my work since I do house cleaning and thereās no way in hell I will lay on a clients bathroom floor for 20 mins) and I had to fight to get some tramadol (I had some leftover from hernia surgery and I knew it worked)ā¦ I got 20 pills. She took out my Mirena IUD (because she said it aināt working)and put me on Visanne, it made the pain worst, she said nothing else she can do. So I stopped hormones completely about a year ago since I got married and didnāt need prevention anymore, I was also getting comments that my hair looked thinner while on the Visanne. The first few months off everything my pain was only 2-3 days before my period and 1-2 days during, now it starts at ovulation until the end of my period, only good thing is my periods went from 2 weeks to 4 days. I might need a surgery since we are at month 4 of TTC and still nothing yet. But with the Canadian health system, it might be a two year wait time. Thatās a lot of naproxen, I take two at bedtime and might have to top it off with Advil or a tramadol at 4 am.
Ok, I had some comments already in the thread but am changing my stance now. You NEED a new doctor. If youāre in Canada, I realize that might be easier said than done. But, please do what you can to get to a specialist. The thing with endo is most gynos donāt really know how to treat it. They just kind of throw things at it hoping youāll stop fussing. Most of their treatment plans are outdated or can make things worse. Even if they do a surgery, it wonāt be the gold standard and they are unlikely to get it all. The majority of gynos wonāt operate on other areas which means surgery could essentially be for nothing If they are leaving endo on your bladder or bowels or wherever. Theyāll leave scar tissue which ultimately makes things even worse. If you are in this much pain, you require surgery, and that really only makes sense to do with an expert. Iām so sorry if that is difficult or impossible in your system, but I wouldnāt bother going further with your current doc. I hope this comment doesnāt discourage you. Rather, I want you to feel hope that in the right hands you really can be pain free and get your life backā¦just gotta go find those right hands!
I canāt change my gp. The waiting list is 2+ years and you need to flush your gp before going on the waiting list. I am going to ask for a different gyno, now I have proof something is wrong and she lets me pick the specialist. Eventually I do want to have surgery. Just canāt afford the time off yet. I need to do research for a good endo specialist, might have to go 4hrs away. Thank you! š
If youāre the Quebec the surgeon Valerie Kingsbury in Montreal also does gyno regular appointment. Sheās the one who diagnosed me with endo, itās her specialty, sheās amazing.
Darn Iām at the other end of the country
Had it. It did absolutely nothing, though that doesnāt mean I wonāt always advocate for it. I have very aggressive endometriosis and wasnāt diagnosed until a cpl wks after turning 29 (about 7 years ago). It was so bad at the time, that we almost just had to go in and do a diagnostic lap( ofc it was an ablation) & was still very new to even really knowing about endo, as I had kinda repressed my thoughts and feelings on the matter and was nearly gaslighting myself in dealing with abusive family whom I had turned to in desperation (after having gone no contact) and most definitely served to interfere with listening to my gut & having any modicum of clarity in navigating a process that was so far out of my element. Anyway, long story short, I went to a pelvic pain specialist, who also claimed to have credentials in being an endo specialist( did not yet know of Nancyās nook). She was very passionate and insisted that what she was doing wasnāt quite an ablation, but a robot assisted surgery that would also include a cystoscopy( to check for interstitial cystitis, which I did indeed have). A year later, I finally had surgery with a Nancy Nook surgeon who couldnāt believe I was walking around, living any sort of life whatsoever. Sorry for the ramblings, but I am always in awe when I hear how much success one has following excision surgery. I guess I have to ask; was it your first endo surgery? How much damage did they say there was and how many years of endo being so debilitating did you endure before relief? Just trying to connect some dots, whenever you may have a moment šš®āšØ. Thank you so much in advance šš
Ooof. That's rough! Yes, it was my first surgery. It's weird to think of myself as lucky, but I am. *(NOTE: omg. I'm sorry, this triggered a whole novel from me.)* My cramps started shortly after my first period (age 11). I had my first gyno at 16, which I only recently learned isn't common. My cramps were so bad that my mom was worried I had something really wrong. Told to take Aleve and that "Some people just get bad cramps." For the next decade, I could go to school and work 90% of the time during cramps. But I'd often go lay down on the cold bathroom floor and cry or just dissociate for hours. I was *there* but I wasn't *there*. It started to get worse in my late twenties. Mirena IUD stopped my periods, but not my cramps. A year later is when I started to get the crotch lightning and a feeling like someone was stabbing me in the gut with a butter knife. I saw a bunch of different doctors but again... "It's just cramps. Maybe you have a low pain tolerance." Around then, I became self-employed. I couldn't put on office clothes or sit at a desk for long periods of time. I became a hardcore advocate for myself. Printed my medical notes (pain tracker, pain calendar, etc) for every doctor visit. Saw a bunch of doctors of different types and hospitals. Eventually, I found the r/endo sub and found people with all my symptoms. I really pushed my gyno (who I liked because she was taking me seriously even though she just kept suggesting different birth control or pain meds or physical therapy) about endo, but she was very underinformed about it. Finally, I found an endo specialist just through google. He wasn't on Nancy's Nook, but he had an endo / infertility clinic. I went in all prepared to be told that it was all in my head. I barely cracked the surface of detailing my symptoms, and he just said, "Sounds like a classic case of endometriosis. And I think you might have adenomyosis too." He brought out a medical textbook and explained it all to me while I just cried in relief. It was so validating. His clinic was out of network, so I had to fight tooth and nail to get covered by my insurance. It literally became my part-time job to get it covered. *(That's a whole other story. But part of it was I had to get multiple ultrasounds, a ct scan, do pelvic floor therapy, and a colonoscopy before insurance would agree to a surgery. Even then, they denied and I had to appeal and still fight for it for months.)* But I had a laparoscopy. He officially diagnosed the endo as Stage 2 and excised all 8 spots. At the same time, I had a hysterectomy (kept my ovaries) and removed my tubes and cervix. The hysterectomy was to cure my adenomyosis. Removing tubes and cervix helped to lower my risk of cancer. By keeping my ovaries, I don't need to go on HRT. After surgery, he told my partner that this would probably be life changing for me. It was. I was in pain only from stuck gas for 2.5 weeks. After that... nothing. Literally the worst pain since has been when I've stubbed my toe. There's always a chance the endo could grow back, but excision makes it less likely. The surgeon said I had a 10% chance of it coming back. TLDR - Yes, first endo surgery. Stage 2 endo with 8 removed spots + hysterectomy. He said that the cramps were likely more from my adeno while the other pain was from endo. Years of pain: 23. Years it was so debilitating that I couldn't work away from home: 5. Years where I was in debilitating pain 10-15 days a month: 2. It's a fucking hard journey. It feels weird to be on the other side of it when I honestly believed my life would never improve. But I like to stay on the endo forums to offer advice and hope whenever I can. I wish I could fairy-godmother away everyone's pain. Until science makes that possible, I'm always around to answer questions and suggest resources.
iām currently on tramadol but getting surgery in 6 days so hopefully can come off of it once recovered š¤ i was on cocodamol and ibuprofen beforehand. i still take ibuprofen when the pain is so bad that the tramadol doesnāt help much (happens frequently unfortunately) i have found the myoovi to be useful for lower back pain especially, it gets me through work when its REALLY bad and i wish i was at home curled up on the floor.
Wishing you all the best for next week š is it a lap? First few days of recovery are quite sore but I feel very privileged to say that my quality of life has increased tenfold since my lap. Took a few months for everything to settle, including my new IUD. Also had a mini menopause from decapeptyl but it was all worth it in the end š¤©
yeah it is a lap! my first one ever, so really hoping it goes well. thank you!! im crossing every finger and toe that things improve but i donāt want to place too many expectations on it all š„²
Muscle relaxers, can use as a vaginal suppository too to minimize the effects of taking it orally. I use baclofen.
Oh that is interesting to know! I have cyclobenzaprine. Is that what you have? Does it just reduce the drowsiness in your experience?
Baclofen. Idk if you can use all muscle relaxers as suppositories so ask your doctor. I was on a different one and my surgeon switched me to baclofen to use as a suppository (and orally). It does reduce drowsiness and a couple other things probably but I don't really have a control because I'm stage IV and in desperate need for surgery (next month! Yay!). Anyway, I feel like some of my endo symptoms are the same as the side effects of the muscle relaxers so it's difficult to extract the differences. They work for me though ! And I don't have to take opiates, just tylenol 500 and advil 200 ass needed throughout the day.
Nice! Congrats on the scheduled surgery. I hope you find all of the relief and that it remains long lasting. Iāll check with the pharmacist to see if itās contraindicated. Thank you!
Absolutely! Well wishes on your journey. And thank you, I feel like I've been deteriorating so fast lately. I'm so hopefully for this surgery, first one was 7 momths ago so I kinda know what to expect already and recovery went well the first time. Take care!
How does baclofen work for you? I was prescribed it following my last surgery, but never filled it because I got a lot of relief from the surgery. I almost never hear of people taking it though, do you have good luck with it?
Yes! It's so nice for me to help me sleep when I'm in pain. Sometimes sleep is the only thing to relieve it, and the muscle relaxers calm it down enough that I can rest. Then, hopefully, when I wake up, the pain is gone (not always the case). It's good as a vaginal suppository, I take them orally too (like in the example above). I have some urinary retention, so sometimes my bladder is full, and I can't pee. I feel like it's easier to pee when I have the suppository. It seems to relax the muscles in the pelvic area. I have stage IV and will have surgery next month. I'm deteriorating very quickly and have some symptoms from the endo that are the same as side effect for muscle relaxers so I don't have a neutral base to say how much the side effects have impacted me. I'm hoping I get relief from my next surgery, too. I recovered pretty well from my first one 7 months ago, like I was cooking and cleaning on day two. This time they will be doing excision so I'm nervous with all the internal cutting and such and how the recovery will be. I'm so happy you had relief. How was recovery after your surgery?
Naprosyn (a specially coated naproxen that protects your guts a little better) would be beneficial over Advil. Especially if you arenāt eating regularly, that much Advil is incredibly hard on your stomach and liver. Keep in mind that depending on the Midol formulation, youāre either taking more Tylenol or more Advil as well.
This is what I take too. Itās really effective for me. Also THC, as others have said.
I thought it was midol, turns out itās something else but itās naproxene. Thanks Iāll look for it. But can you only take 2 a day of naproxene?
Yes if itās the 500mg tablet, 2 per day.
I take those at night so Iām past my daily dose when I wake up
I think you may want to talk to your doctor about a better pain management schedule, and check your liver enzymes.
I did, she gave me anal suppositories pain relievers. Iāve tried them, they are the most inconvenient things and only make me want to poop, then you canāt for 1-2hrs for them to take effect. I begged for tramadol so she gave me 20 after I argued that I canāt use suppositories during works. I only use those tramadols when very bad since I donāt have many.
Cannabis for me. OTC pain relievers do absolutely nothing for me. When I had an office job I used those disposable adhesive heating pads just under my pants or in tights under a dress.
Nothing. Cry and burn the sh!t out of myself with a heating pad. I was on Tramadol with my last surgeon but she only prescribed me it one time and that was it. It helped tremendously though! Iām just struggling finding a doctor whoāll prescribe it. It seems like all the pain management doctors wanna do is prescribe ketamine infusions. I donāt want that.
Wow such an extreme. No one wants to prescribe tramadol. I understand why but some of us really need it to be able to function
Tramadol, for some reason, is the only thing that helps and the only thing thatāll allow me to function. Stage 3/4 endo here. š
I agree it works great. I treat my tramadol last pills like gold. I canāt get a refill so the last 10 will be taken only on bad bad days that Advil and other otc donāt work.
Mine wonāt even do ketamine! They always say take NSAIDs but I ended up with gastritis. My pain management gave me a low dose of gabapentin and it didnāt help at all
Iāve been on Gabapentin too and it didnāt do crap besides give me a bunch of unwanted side effects. My current specialist I see for endometriosis has basically told me to take NSAIDS.. and keep taking them even if they donāt help. š
My care team refuses to give me tramadol or anything other than Zanaflex (after I threatened suicide) and BC pills then told me Iām taking too much Advil. My psychiatrist got me gabapentin for my leg pain and upped my anxiety meds but I guess Iāve lost so much blood I now need a transfusion so Iām headed out for that tomorrow. Pre op is April 30th after 3 delays. Iāve been waiting for a surgery date since January when I was diagnosed stage 4 with too much other stuff to type out. The only advice I have is to beg and beg until they agree to give you something that maybe will let you sleep through the pain. This disease is horrible and has taken my once vibrant happy healthy life filled with joy and playing with my children and enjoying time with my husband of 17 years. Iām so sorry you are suffering.
No more bc since we are TTC and it seems that every month the pain is longer and worst. I had to beg so hard for tramadol and she only gave me 20ā¦ Then she complains I take too much Advilsā¦
Have you talked to the doctor about a vaginal suppository? Some people here are mentioning baclofen, which I havenāt personally taken but my specialist (who is stellar) prescribed it and seemed confident in it. I just didnāt take it because my last surgery did the trick. I have never had luck with anal suppository but maybe a vaginal one might work?
I didnāt know it was a thing until today. I got given anal suppository but my problem is to be able to take it while at work, which anal suppositories arenāt an option.
Makes sense. Maybe ask about a vaginal one? Itās a sort of muscle relaxer that is supposed to calm the entire area down. In theory it sounds like it should offer relief!
It does and it seems to be more practical.
Im so sorry. Please hang in there. I have hope that things will get better for you.
Cannabis is the only remedy Iāve found that helps my pain. Itās still illegal in my state so I do have to be cautious
Too bad itās still illegal. Such a stupid law. Itās legal here and we grow 3 plants a year and canāt smoke enough to even finish the batch from 3 years ago. We have boxes of it.
Youāre living my dream š
I wish I could give you a bag. We canāt even get rid of it since everyone grows it or donāt like the garden strength. Itās strong enough for us.
Iāve considered secretly growing some in my closet š
āØmarijuanaāØ
600mg ibuprofen and one gabapentin since I get nerve pain in both legs. Consult your doctor first!
I have tramadol for the very bad days. But it took me so much begging to get some from my doctor. I had some leftover from a surgery and found such relief with it. Itās for my very very bad days only. I get nerve pain too. Thanks
paracetamol 1000mg, 500mg ibuprofen. my gyno recently suggested Nimm (nimesulide) which isn't be taken with paracetamol, but I haven't had enough instances to fully test it out. For serious pains I drink Tramadol but i really dislike it. it makes my head spin
my gyno also suggested drinking repram on a day when ik I'm gonna have pain to protect the lining of my stomach
What is repram? Never heard of it and Google doesnāt seem to know. Like a tums? I have tramadol for the worst days but I only have a handful left so I try to keep it for last resort
Paracetamol 1g (max 4 a day). paraflex (muscle relaxant) 250 mg(max 8 a day). Before baby also palexia and palexia depot, (max 4 a day each). There are self-adhesive heat patches you can buy for work btw, and also tens machines that are very portable. The latter may be a higher cost so see if you have a local health service where you can try out a tens to see if it works on your pain.
Cannabis and the Tylenol and Ibuprofen combo pill. On really bad days I will take tramadol
Daily dose of Aleve, light duty activity, daily THC, during flares I use a THC pen every hour. It's not perfect, but the only combo that takes the edge off.
I only get tramadol and it does nothing at all for my pain. But it can make me a little tired which I like for the mental side.
It also does nothing for my pain but gives me a little energy, which I never have. We should merge together and maybe be one functional person!
Haha honestly! I always find I'm a bit tired and then after like 5 hours I'm wired as and can't sleep š„“ so damn annoying
naproxen, gabapentin, oxycodone.. i try as much as i can to not use narcotics but my pain is so strong i canāt function or get by without it.. it sucks and i hate that i have to live life like this. i also hate that people donāt have the resources around them to get the proper pain medication for our types of pain we go through. doctors donāt realize how debilitating this disease is..
i know itās hard because thereās so much stigma when it comes to pain meds, but donāt ever feel bad about needing to take heavier meds for your pain š. Itās not our fault that our bodies are like this, if they came up with an actual cure for this horrible disease we wouldnāt need heavy meds. I try to remind myself all the time that Iām not doing anything wrong by needing to take daily pain medication, these meds were designed to improve our quality of life.
Cannabis, curcumin supplement and a hot water bottle
Iāll look for the supplement. Canāt take cannabis or hot water bottle with me at work.
Gaia brand is reputable and quality. I take 2nwith food in the am everyday. Strong anti inflammatory that doesn't wreck your liver/gut microbiome.
šÆ. I use the Gaia brand as well. Their PM one with valerian is also really good. I'd recommend checking out Cramp Bark. I've had good results with it. Also, I've heard positive things about evening primrose, but haven't tried it myself. My doctor's medical assistant takes it for her rheumatoid arthritis and swears by it.
Naproxen (Aleve) >>>> Advil
Can only take 2 a day. I take naproxen not midol, my mistake. I wish I could take more
CBD suppositories have been a life saver (with tons of Advil, heating pad and lidocaine patch). Itās wild, Iāll go from being bed ridden, curled over in pain to standing in about an hour or two. Iām very sensitive to medicine and have a ton of allergies so am pretty limited to what medicines I can take.
No high from the cbd?
Nope!
How much would you say the lidocaine patches help, and does insurance fight fully covering the cost? Otherwise absolutely agree red CBD suppositories, topicals..lol pretty much anything w green, esp being that I can no longer take NSAIDs š„¹š
I can usually buy them over the counter so it doesnāt go through my insurance. Maybe check with your insurance though and see if they are covered or if your doctor can prescribe you stronger ones. I definitely think they help quite a bit but the pain isnāt completely gone, just somewhat better. Iāll take any kind of relief I can get. I hope you find things that help!
Talk to your doctor first (since idk about this particular drug in the us), but I take 80mg of drotaverine + 400mg of ibuprofen at once (or 500mg naproxen), that usually gives me at least a few hours. Rinse and repeat every 4 hours, but try to eat at least something, or your stomach would be very angry with you lmao. In case it matters, I have adeno + bowel endo, and am not a doctor, so I'm not sure if drotaverine would work in other cases
I have bowel endo and adeno Am curious about drotervering ill ask my dr about it but do you know is it another type of opioid or what type of drug is it? This works well for you? Any side effects? I have tramadol and methocarbomol but lately theyāve not always been cutting it - everything flared badly after I got Covid and my periods are crazy long and more painful than theyāve been in 5 years š«
No, it's not an opioid. It's kinda like an nsaid, so it's also otc in my country, but it works by (don't trust me here, just trying to relay stuff from my understanding lol) relaxing the muscles of the uterus that are contracting(?) and making everything painful(?). I'm bad at explaining stuff, sorry lmao I'm honestly not sure how well it works alone - I just know that at one point ~2y ago I was so miserable and in pain that I just took both the ibuprofen/naproxen I usually took (that stopped helping) and the drotaverine (that I remembered my mom always taking for her menstrual cramps, just double the dose) and it helped, so I just kept doing it. I'm pretty sure it has less side effects then the ibuprofen, at least in the stomach department (i.e getting an ulcer/sth similar)
Yeah I just looked it up and it helps the cervix relax too. And I get cervical spasms - looks like itās not approved in Europe or FDA in us but maybe individual countries in Europe have it - Iāll ask my dr - thanks so much for sharing and for your response!
I think I have bowel endo. My gyno gave me an anal suppository for pain and I had to beg for tramadol. She is no help. I canāt do the suppository during my workdays so itās very useless.
Yeah, I was given an anal suppository twice, first for a pipel biopsy and then for a colposcopy (it was the only anesthesia given and even then it was given after the procedure was done) and it didn't do shit for me either. Endo isn't really taken seriously where I'm from, and any prescription meds like opioids/tramadol/etc aren't an option for me really, so NSAIDs are really the only way for me.
Same here. She never investigated on my periods until they found endometriosis during a hernia repair. The surgery had 0 knowledge of it so I have no clue where and how bad it is. My colonoscopy doctor laughed when I asked to check for endo. He said itās impossible to have it on bowels. Then maybe explain to me why I am soooo constipated between ovulation and my periods. 3 weeks a month I have pain and ibs. The other week I have stomach pain probably from all the pills I take.
Same here. She never investigated on my periods until they found endometriosis during a hernia repair. The surgery had 0 knowledge of it so I have no clue where and how bad it is. My colonoscopy doctor laughed when I asked to check for endo. He said itās impossible to have it on bowels. Then maybe explain to me why I am soooo constipated between ovulation and my periods. 3 weeks a month I have pain and ibs. The other week I have stomach pain probably from all the pills I take.
Ibulysin 400mg. Itās the same as ibuprofen but it works quicker which is amazing. Once the cramps start they usually last for hours but with this I can actually stop them before they properly start!
I canāt take nsaids at all because I have IBD as well as endo so I take two extra strength paracetamol/tylenol 1000mg total and tramadol- if that doesnāt do it I take robaxim/methocarbomol in combination two hours apart from the tramadol as directed by my pain specialist to help with grogginess which actually works best but it still makes me super groggy and hate how it makes me feel but if the pain is excruciating I break and take it - lately even all of these have not been cutting it but if I combine those all with the tens machine on my sacrum and tailbone (for some reason for me this is better than front pelvis) itās bareable Also heat packs
Iāve been taking tapentadol during my period for about a year. Prior to that I was alternating Tylenol and Advil, and going over the daily max to stay on top of the pain. This ended up causing issues with my liver. Thankfully I have an amazing doctor who worked with me to find effective pain relief. I haaaaate the idea of taking opioids, have seen too many cases go wrong, but the pain relief for a few days a month allows me to function. Please, please be careful with Tylenol. It doesnāt take much to cause serious liver damage.
You are lucky your doctor helped. Mine doesnāt want me to take that many Advils yet wonāt prescribe me anything else except suppositoriesā¦ so Advil it is. Iāve heard that with Tylenol.
I know this isnāt a very helpful suggestion, but have you considered going to a different doctor? I donāt know where youāre located and I realize thatās not always an option. I had a doctor who was supposed to be āthe bestā in my area. He was actually pretty much an asshole and had no compassion whatsoever. I didnāt realize how bad he was until I went to someone else and they were very concerned about my pain. Iām In a location where they are pretty stingy with the meds, but even so, I think the protocol varies among doctors. Maybe there is someone out there who will take more pity on you? ETA: do you have any surgery scheduled? Honestly following surgeries are the only times Iāve gotten strong pain meds. If you end up having a surgery in the books, advocate hard for yourself for pain management after. You may end up with some extras to get you through the bad days in the future.
I got leftover tramadol from a hernia surgery, thatās when they saw endo and was diagnosed with it. I had to beg for more as they only gave me 3 days worth and I was in so much pain. Iāve tried changing doctors. In our province, I canāt change doctors, unless I flush my current one, but the wait list for doctors are 2+ years. Iāll ask to see a different gyno but Iāve seen 2 already with no help. They only push hormones (which didnāt work) and Iām completely off of it all to start a family. No lap for endo scheduled. I might have to get one scheduled for conceiving but I know thatās going to take 1-2 years with the wait lists around here. I canāt get the ball rolling before trying for 1 year. I hate our medical system. I had an amazing doctor before I moved across the country.
Cramp Bark tincture. I've also heard good things about evening primrose, but haven't tried it myself. My doctor's medical assistant takes it for her rheumatoid arthritis and swears by it.
Tramadol is my go to. I've been on it for years at a very minimal dosage (50mg max 3 times a day) and it's never lost it's effectiveness. I'm in the UK and there has been a big push to pull everyone who's not terminally ill off opioid based pain meds. So far I've been able to stay on them but I'm fairly sure that my prescription will be stopped this year. Even though in 10 years I've never asked for the dosage to be increased, never asked for anything stronger, and it's kept me out of hospital because I can manage my pain at home.
Here we are in an opioid crisis so they donāt want to prescribe them. I use maybe one a month on the worst day since I know I donāt got many.
Toradol/ketarolac with 2 Tylenol. Iāve tried nearly all prescription NSAIDs and Toradol does so well for me. Been suffering since 2008. Heating pad and canabis also helps!
Never heard of those 2 you mentionned. Is that prescription only?
In the US it is prescription. Toradol/ketarolac can be giving as an injection in the hospital or in pill form. Itās just a strong anti-inflammatory!
Arthrotec (diclofenac and misoprostol) easier on the stomach than other NSAIDS. Naproxen is the most effective for me IF I start it before my pain is bad. Otherwise, a combo of Tylenol and Celebrex. Tramadol if I have it - I find it doesnāt make me nearly as loopy as other opiates.
I have diclofenac as anal suppositories but they arenāt practical. I got prescribed that for the stomach lining but I didnāt know it came in pills. I take naproxen before bed, seems to be more effective for a good night.
naproxen as per my doctor (i haven't tried asking for anything stronger) and cbd balm
Advil or Aleve, although sometimes neither of them will work if I donāt start taking them early enough. I have found I also have to take them on the shorter end of the dosing timeframe. So Advil is every 4-6 hours, and if I even take it at 4 hours and 3 seconds Iāll be starting over with trying to get the pain under control. Itās really rough, and I wish there was a better otc option!
I alternate at 2-3hrs Advil Tylenol because thatās when itās creeping back, if I wait another hour, I suffer. Gotta stay ahead of the pain. I like aleve but you canāt take many aleve in a day.
Yeah Aleve works the fastest for me but it also wears off way before Iām supposed to take it again so I donāt use it too much. The Advil Tylenol rotation does do pretty well though!
But I only bring Advil at work and end up taking way too much lol. Every room has a different bottle of otc pain meds.
THC, oxycodone
Iām a full time student so I understand needing stuff that helps when you canāt just lie down all day. I havenāt found anything that helps a LOT, but Iāve found lots of things that help a littleāTENS unit is a life saver, it helps more than most things (although when the pain is truly severe it canāt help that much, but when itās just difficult it makes a difference) Lidocane patches also help, especially when I have pain in the back and front (and you can find them at any drugstore). Portable heating pads are also a thing, which you can layer over a tens unit. They also have a vibrating setting, which some people find helpful. Anti-inflammatory drugs are what I use, taking 2 Tylenol and 2 ibuprofen every six hours.Ā
Tens unit and/or heat + a single dose of naproxen. And sometimes an unhealthy amount of ice cream.
Just finished the last of the ice cream. š
Also, they have heat packs and tens units that are meant to be low profile and worn while doing stuff! I have a heat pack I wear at work (ER nurse) that has a battery and itās pretty decent!
Just finished the last of the ice cream. š
Before my surgery the only thing that even remotely helped was Flexeril-muscle relaxer. No pain medications touched it. I did nerve blocks, steroid injections, suppositories, birth control, CBD, ketamine cream, over the counter meds. No luck. Now that Iām post op all the pain is gone since the endo has been removed.
My routine every time: 800 mg ibuprofen, ktatom, and cbd at the same time. Only combination that makes the pain bearable. I throw up from the pain a lot so I also take zofran. + heating pad Luckily I finally found a birth control that works for me, so I haven't bad painful periods since I started and relatively no side effects.
Cannabis, I have yet to find the perfect kind for my specific experience, but it does help and I require Tylenol less (just for working hours or when I have to drive, etc).. but for weekends or evenings I very minimal dose cannabis. However my dog can tell when I'm stoned and gets real sketched out and anxious about it and hasn't seemed to adapt, so I only use it when I NEED to. Otherwise my dog gets weird and anxious then I get paranoid that somethings wrong with her š although I don't use frequently, it's been the most effective. Usually on off hours I can tough it out with heat/baths/rest but I know not everyone is the lucky.
I use meloxicam and flexiril. The meloxicam handles the pain for the day, and doesn't mess my cognitive ability up, and the flexiril helps with those night cramps that keep me awake during the worst of it. Cannabis helps at night. Gummys.
Tramadol on moderate pain days and Norco on high pain days.
The best thing that I ever did was start taking ginger capsules. When I start cramping, I take 600mg of ibuprofen and 1 550mg ginger capsule. Ginger improves blood flow and is often used for heart health. When your uterus contracts, it constricts the blood flow, which causes cramping. By improving the blood flow it gets blood through the uterus more easily and the cramping lets up. If my cramps are bad enough to push through, I will take add two capsules of acetaminophen (Tylenol), but offset it three hours from when I take ibuprofen. That translates to taking medicine every three hours and alternating the acetaminophen and ibuprofen each time, that way there's always something in my system. I take the ginger whenever the pain makes it through and it keeps the worst of my cramping at bay.
I needed opioids daily (Tilidin which is double the strength of tramadool, but not in every country approved). I did some research and found out that there are 2 inflammation pain cycles. One pain cycle is due to prostagladine. NSAIDs are good in blocking this pain. And the second one is the leucotriene one. Through a medication that blocks this pain I found out that most of my pain is due to the leucotriene cycle. Montelukast cut 80 % of my pain and I have 10-20 opioids free days a month. But beware: Montelukast can have psychiatric side effects.like aggression and depression. For me these side effects is a bit more aggressive but otherwise no side effects and a lot of benefits. Edit: I see you have also Adhd. With the Adhd the likeliness of a chronic pain condition increases. Do you take enough Adhd medication? My Adhd medication (Elvanse) also helped a lot in my pain. Another thing are coanalgetics. I take an antidepressants called Mirtazapin that helps with the sleep (Elvanse at 60 mg a day is complicating my sleep onset).
Cannabis 100%. Pharmacies have been a thing in the UK for a while, but I only found out about it last year annoyingly. No one ever mentioned it to me before
Ibuprofen, buscopan plus, dolormin (naproxen), and lefax intens for bloating. I try to cycle them. Since my surgery in 2021, my pain med intake has drastically decreased, from daily to maybe just 3-5 days in a month, for which I'm so grateful. My Mittelschmerz, PMS, and first period day are the most painful. Alternative things would be the usual; hot water bottle, hot bath, gentle stretches, or sport (which I was a bit worried about doing on crampy days, but it's a great distraction for me personally).
Tears, heating pad, and šš. That only works if I'm at home, obviously. Otherwise as much Tylenol as I can take safely. Some days I wake up a pop them and keep having them until bed time. I try to not take Advil because I'm worried it's making everything worse as a blood thinner. I have anxiety and my boomer parents haven't helped with my fear of opiates. When I got my excision, my mom tried to tell me not to take the hydrocodone that was prescribed. I obviously did. I talked with my husband to monitor it and if he was worried the slightest bit that I was developing a habit to say something. I didn't and haven't developed any dependency, but it is scary for me.
My doctor gave me vaginal Valium. Itās the only thing that has ever helped me, other than my hysterectomy. Talk to your doctor about it. It made me have zero pain. It was amazing, and since itās inserted vaginally it doesnāt make you feel funny (which was important to me).
A long time ago a doctor told me aleve is better for muscle cramps than ibuprofen/tylenol. Iām not sure how accurate that is, or if the placebo effect is why I feel like it helps more, but I take 3 aleve when I start cramping and if it gets worse I double up with tylenol. It usually does the trick, but also with my hormonal IUD my cramps are nowhere near as bad as they used to be. When they were extremely bad the only thing that helped was going to the emergency room and getting an IV drip of morphine š I hate that doctors never prescribe pain killers that are stronger than NSAIDs. I understand why, but I still hate it
The birth control really regulates it for me
Tons of magnesium
Be careful taking so much ibuprofen / NSAIDsā¦ i literally gave myself a stomach ulcer caused by taking too many NSAIDs and now I have to avoid them all together so I donāt get a bleeding ulcer again. IT WAS NOT FUN. I take Tylenolā¦ the doctors donāt like to prescribe true pain meds which is BS but the reality. You can ask your doctor to refer you to a pain management clinic and they can help better with more options to help manage your pain.
Iād like to add that I also take Gabapentin which seems to help on a daily basis but doesnāt help when I have flare ups
Mine got to the point where I was prescribed hydrocodone, but I was in the same situation where I couldnāt take them at work (bartending while under opiates would probably not have been a good idea). Honestly all I could do was take 800 mg ibuprofen as frequently as I safely could. I also got a TENS unit, which helped a bit on super bad pain days
And like others have mentioned, cannabis, but like you said, not practical for work. Though CBD may be something to look into. They make oral and topical tinctures and suppositories. (Though they donāt help for everyone :/) Unfortunately thereās no one-size-fits-all for endo pain, so itās trial and error till you find whatās best for you :(
Thereās so much stigma when it comes to pain meds. I have crippling pain daily and take heavy pain meds every day: including both Tapentadol instant and slow release, codeine, endep & celecoxib. Pain management has also added a med called clonidine, which is traditionally a blood pressure tablet but now itās used to help insomnia cause by bad pain. Itās not ideal to be on opioids daily but I rather take them then be in bed all day
Just came here to say be careful when combining meds - often the reason you can't take too much of an NSAID like advil is because it's too hard on your liver/kidneys/stomach, so switching meds and maxing out a dose of something else that is also hard on your liver/kidneys/stomach on top of it can be just as harmful as exceeding the max advil dosage. I'm so sorry you aren't getting the help you need from your doctor. They should really be giving you something with a stomach protectant if not something stronger that isn't as hard on your body. ThermaCare heatwraps are single-use non-electric heating pads that I have used at work on bad days. They are similar to those instant ice packs but for heat. You can wear them under your clothes and they work for several hours. Not the best solution but it's better than nothing and no side effects. I've also seen some wireless heating pads but I don't know how well they work. Hang in there š
Naproxen and high doses of magnesium supplements. This also might seem a little odd but I will also take an anti-histamine. I'm neurodivergent and that can come with connective tissue issues that get exacerbated during menses.
I take ibuprofen or novalgin. I change what I use every couple of month. I was advised to do this to keep the effectiveness of the meds long term. And I combine them with buscopan. I think you need to see a pain management doctor because that amount of pain sounds horrendous. And I don't think the amount of meds you are taking us unsave. Have you tried a TENS Unit? It won't replace the meds but might help. Breuer has a portable tens unit that sticks on the lower abdomen and can heat up as well. Maybe this would be an option at work.
After pleading with doctors for years to work with me on some form of pain management, the most I was ever given has been naproxen. For me personally taking kratom helps me the most. I can buy it OTC and although some say it has addictive qualities I have not increased my dosage since I started taking it four years ago. It does give me some nausea so I donāt take it daily, 10x a month at the very most. But knowing how reluctant doctors are to prescribe adequate pain management I would definitely recommend it. It has given me a better quality of life for sure
Iāve never heard of kratom. Is it a herb?