Finally somebody gets me

Frfr

Yeah this is me I never take any. And I also never tell anyone when I am on my period and so I act like I am perfectly fine always. Even tho fr sometimes I wanna collapse on the ground and just lay there 💀

Okay, but why would you wear uncomfy jeans? Wear something loose. Tell people your ARE pregnant.

Girl, I could never I struggle with very painful period, If I don't take anything for it, I won't be able to move or do anything or even go to work.

No because this is so relatable...like I just can't take them.

I don’t take them because they’re bad for you and also you’re supposed to rest on your period if you want to!!

I'm not allowed to take them and I'm still forced to go to school and do everything that I have to do 😢😭😭

@@_Host_7900 What? If you feel like you need it, you should be taking it, ask a teacher or a friend. You shouldn't wait for permission to take meds, it's torture, (unless your allergic to all of them), but even so, you could drink tea, there are plenty that could reduce the pain, like oregano, ginger, rosemary, cinnamon, lavender, peppermint, fennel, green tea, mango leaves tea, or agnus-castus.

For me it’s the feeling of my head being like a balloon. I don’t like pain killers, I take them at night.

No actually it makes sense as I read somewhere since nowadays we take antibiotics for even trivial things we're becoming drug resistance which is also scary.

It makes sense, as the amount of painkillers every woman would take in the course of years is definitely not healthy. Try Pineapple instead. My gyn told me that it helps with the pain and feeling of bloated abdomen. Start to eat or drink pineapple juice about 1 week before your period starts and continue it during your period. It helped me. I'm not sure if it helps everybody, but it's worth a try. It's definitely the healthier option.

​​@@MB-it6bpantibiotics are so drastically different in terms of use and application; your point is moot Take your fucking Tylenol you're not special

I think youre actually right and its a well known thing you can build tolerance to drugs. As well as becoming addicted and it having negative impact on your health. I follow the same mindset. I have seen a few articles actually being worries about people using painkillers too much. But I get some people truly need them

Bruh it totally makes sense. I used to take cramp meds before, and afterwards it felt like it didn't even work. Now I have to take higher doses but only for unbearable times (⁠・⁠∀⁠・⁠)

And the people that painkillers don’t work on too (me lol)

I can’t take ibuprofen because it reacts with my heart meds 😭 😭 😭

@@Secret-Liz-ard Off topic, but I *love* your pfp!! HTTYD fan for liiiiife. 💚🐉

yay 😭

mint tea, you guys!! a cup of warm mint tea helps with period cramps and bloating. whether it be peppermint tea from the store or fresh picked mint, ive found that both work well !!

Thats concerning, have you consulted a doctor about that? Period cramps at an extremely high intensity can be a sign of illnesses, such as endometriosis

That’s the way to do it~ Ibuprofen works more as a preventative

@@isbahfatima4451as someone who did ask, I wish it were that easy. I just got told to take more pain meds before my cramps started as a preemptive attempt to make them more bearable.

Honestly same. Plus my intestines won't shut down until I take meds😔

I just take it in the morning- dont even let that get started

taking 2 every hour is fine, but if it doesnt work after 3 hours you either need to just sleep it off and take more the next day like 4 every hour and a half, or get prescribed meds. or advil, tylenol, midol.

@@ambrosesky No, do not ever do this. The typical dosage for a tablet is 200mg, you should not be exceeding 1200mg in a 24 hour period, so that is two tablets every 4-6 hours.

Agreed, I only take them when I'm screaming, ulcers are not fun

@@ambrosesky That’s a great way to overdose and die

​@@ambrosesky At least where I live doctors (and google) tell you not to take one more often than every 4-6 hours. And preferably not more than 3 per day. Though they can be mixed with other types of similar pain killers to make the effect stronger. Also never take them on an empty stomach.

It’s takes doctors 7 years to diagnose endometriosis. What makes you think you’re special? Doctors suck.

healthy people don't feel anything??? We normalize the pain because most women go through a lot of pain from what I know, and I sure hope most women don't happen to also have serious health issues

@@caitlyn189 I mean, it is normal to feel pain during a period, yes. But in many cases from what I've heard there are some illneses or other stuff that make the pain so intense. I know some women and I am one of them who don't feel the period cramps for me it's just sometimes but not enough to take pain killers or something since later it dissappears after couple minutes. But not many people know about it and many women think it's normal if it hurts so much they even pass out.

You ask how it’s normalized? I told my Registered Nurse Practitioner (doctor shortage in Canada) that it’s so bad I can’t stand up and regular painkillers had no effect. You know her response? It’s different for everyone. This is normal for you, and she refused to refer me to a specialist. I got no special prescription. It was 5 years later when I finally found a doctor and I was referred to a specialist right away.

I had normalized my pain until someone around me mentioned it isn't normal for me to be bedridden. I told my doctor, they tried me on a scheduled pain med and it didn't touch the pain. That's when she knew there was something medically wrong. Unfortunately after 4 or so years we still haven't found conclusive evidence since I refuse to have exploratory surgery. I can't take pain meds anymore because my body became vulnerable to them, and the one supplement that helped ease the pain slightly, stopped being produced by the company. It is true that as a society pain has been ignored as a symptom for too long. Unfortunately medical science is still being explored and we don't get the answers we need sometimes

This is one of the best examples why men need to learn more about periods! Should be done more and better in school already so they don't grow up and torture their children

Men who have big opinions on what having a uterus feels like 🚩

A woman WITH a uterus still understanding nothing about women body and won't educate her narrow mind is even worse, believe me... absolutely no excuse there.

It varies, but this is a good one to suggest people try.

What helps me best is what I now realize is some kind of combination of the fetal position and squatting, aka contorting my body into inhuman shapes

@@cassandrabelyeu2419 Yeah, personally I find that this is GENERALLY true for me, but I always have to keep shifting positions every now and then no matter what position I try, and sometimes the position that helps for a bit before I have to shift again even happens to be fetal.

Leg open squat is my favorite, it just looks so undignified 😂

For me, putting weight on my pelvis works. Belly sleeping yes

What if one is absolutely terrified to see gynecologist? Gynecologists caused me possibly the worst pain I have ever experienced when trying to install IUD some years ago and Id legit rather die than go through even 30 seconds of that same pain again. Cant even be in the same setting without panicking. Im lucky to not have severe menstrual problems, but for some seing a gynecologist may not be an option for similiar reasons

Magnesium helps too.

​@@zakosist from experience, going to see your gynecologist about period pain doesn't actually lead to a physical exam. It's actually just a discussion about your pain and the different solution routes they can recommend. So there's actually nothing to be afraid of, even though you might expect otherwise. Considering your extreme anxiety regardless based on the environment itself, I would suggest you either A.) bring a trusted friend/family member with you for moral support in the environment, B.) try a phone call appointment with the gynecologist instead, or C.) talk to your primary care physician because that might be enough and not need to refer you to a gynecologist.

​@@zakosisthey, sorry that happened to you. But at some point of your life you need to see that doctor. Must of the times nothing like that happens. And if I'm completely honest, it sounds like you developed a phobia or something similar which is actually not healthy and a form of mental sickness. You should try to overcome that because you will need that doctor at some point. Either try to find a really nice one that you can talk about your fear so he or she can take it slow and help you through the process or consider therapy. Trust me, I know phobias and it's best to not have them. And trust me, you will need to see them for pregnancy, cancer prevention, if you have an illness, etc and you don't want to be panicked then

@@user-me8hy8ew4o I have started seeking help now. But if the issue remained unresolved by the time I need it I would honestly rather die than go through the same thing again, even painfully as long as its not the same kind of pain. But I also would avoid any extra risk of needing it by deciding on just never having intercourse even in an eventual relationship (but would make that clear very early on as well, so those who cant accept can leave)

Same for me - the more hydrated I am (and zero caffeine/sugar) in the day or two leading up to the start, the less pain there is and sometimes the faster the heaviness is over. It’s a lot of bathroom breaks, but that’s way better than hurting.

Also I was told to not eat pasta and fried or breaded stuff around the days of my period. It has to do with PCOS

Try magnesium, It Is not a medicine and It can take away most of the pain by relaxing your muscles and also helps during Summer when It Is hot and you loose liquids

@@Bl-ug8ek I love alternative suggestions, thanks! I’ll pop into the health food shop next time I’m in town.

@@estyria777You're welcome! Be careful with the quantity, It usually one dose only a day and It would be Better to take It for a week before cramps but sometimes I just take some when needed during trips. Bye, stay healty!

i went to the doctor for painful periods and they didnt even check for a cause they just prescribed me birth control :/

@@_kaleido they do that so often. Don't listen to them. Do your own research, be your own advocate and demand your own treatments. Thankfully the doctor I got this time listens to me, especially because I have a family history of endometriosis and I'm writing an academic paper on it but she's asking me to choose my own methods of diagnosis and treatment but mostly pushing for birth control you need to know what you prioritise, not what the doctor prefers

@@_kaleido also when I was younger, all they used to do was feel my stomach and then tell me it's in my head and that I must have anxiety. One doctor said it's normal. The most they ever did was one doctor gave me ibuprofen and another, he was the best, gave me an ultrasound. Unfortunately he didn't do it so that I had to not eat before and drink water he just did it on the spot. Now that I'm older,I've had another ultrasound with the four hours not eating before and chugging a lot of water. I used to always get rushed into A&E. Know that u know best if something is wrong with you

​@@-brxken-7789That is really interesting, I didn't even know there were alternatives to birth control when pain killers don't work. If you have the time, could you maybe share a few options?

I'm also an endometriosis suspect, and yeah, the pain is just terrible. The issue is that a lot of doctors are not taking it seriously when you tell them about it.

You cou try eating something like a plain biscuit before taking the tablets. Sometimes a little bit of food helps settle a stomach.

@@Ruthavecflute thank you for the advice:) yeah I took it after I woke up so my stomach was empty 😭

@@SaladFingersFangirlyou should read the instructions on the packaging. Not only for pain killers but ALL MEDS that you take.

@@user-bi8ko7kc6h yes mommy 🫡🥺

@@user-bi8ko7kc6h tbf I did read the packaging it didn’t mention anything about not having an empty stomach…

I feel this... I don't have any health conditions but my cramps are brutal and pain meds do absolutely nothing to them 😔✊ stay strong

It's the same for me with endo pain :(

@@IronRalts It's possible you do have something and don't know it. A classic theme with endo sufferers is that painkillers do little to nothing for the pain. If pain is bad enough to stop you functioning normally then it is *abnormal*. It took me 16yrs of suffering, being gaslit and having to fight to be taken seriously before I disovered I have endometriosis. Codeine, tramadol - even a brief stint on morphine - nothing touches the pain for me. Paracetamol and ibuprofen etc are a joke. It may be worth you exploring the possibility of having endometriosis or a simialar condition (adenomyosis, pcos etc). Remember that even if you've had an 'all clear' on a scan that doesn't mean you don't have endo. It rarely shows on ultrasound etc. Mine didn't, I only had it confirmed with a laparoscopy. I hope you find relief and answers

Yup I do max allowed "Tylenol "and "advil" for a couple of days min...it still wears off before i can take the next doses... Plus heavy bleeding . Pcos sucks!!!!

Yes I had that! And this was in the days when you had to get ibuprofen as a prescription from the doctor. Yup. Hang in there, sweetie.

Apparently if it’s that much pain your supposed to go to a doctor and find out why cuz it’s not supposed to be normal

You might try a different set of pain killers, some can work better for some people than other types. Like ibuprofen vs. naproxen sodium (generic name for Aleve). Both NSAIDs, so you can safely combine either with Tylenol as well (which is a great tip if you haven't already done this). But I have found that Naproxen Sodium for some reason felt like it had much better effects for me than ibuprofen, made such a difference that one of my periods I felt like the pain was at an all time low for the first time in my life! Figured I'd throw that out there since I know how you feel when it's like the pain meds didn't even make a dent🥲 Also, a heating pad is great while you're waiting for the meds to kick in the first 20-30 min. And Tylenol can really help take the edge off in addition to the NSAIDs (whichever you choose). And, as mentioned by another reply, please talk to your doctor if it's still bad after these methods. You don't deserve to suffer when there could be underlying medical conditions you could fix first at the root of the problem.

If that only occurs with period pain, it might be endometriosis or adenomyosis, not just normal period pain. Worth checking out, because it only gets worse over time if it's left untreated. If painkillers don't work for you in most/all cases, you might not respond to them and might need opioids for stronger pain, also worth talking to your doc about.

Same here it only dulls the pain I have to use an essential oil blend along with my cramps to get them to completely go away

Gorl! If your periods painful - go check for cist immediately! Painful periods is NOT normal!

@@rikabernar it is normal to have painful periods. It's about the intensity and duration of the pain that you should be on the lookout for

@@valaya.3 👌🤝

What is the need for avoiding modern medicine. Modern medicine is incredibly effective and works, hence why our life expectancy has more than doubled since its inception.

@@alpheendomination I am not opposed to modern medicine, just some painkillers such as ibuprofen are not good for your liver and shoulder be taken sparingly. That being said, you have to have other pain management methods in their place or else you will end up immobilized with pain😬

And acetaminophen depletes your glutathione. Yes, it works, but these drugs are not good for your health long-term. It's good advice to only take them if you need them.

​@alpheendomination Besides what was already stated, a lot of painkillers tend to destroy the stomach and create ulcers. Patients in need of painkillers are getting usually stomach protection medication along with the painkillers, which is not the case with period pain. And do not forget the risk of addictions. Modern medicine recognises risk and effectiveness too, which means that the doctors usually are talking to the patient if the side effects do not overshadow the benefits.

​@@alpheendominationstomach ulcers Ibuprofen is awful for your stomach and ulcers in there are beyond extremely painful and can even be deadly

Whoa, what? 🤔

How ADHD?

Interesting…how does this link to adhd?

@@jezlassiter9374 thanks for saying this. All of those factors affect me. It’s validating to see other people here say it. To those asking, ADHD makes basic self care and often body awareness very difficult. Like, I will be so hungry I’m shaking and fainting, and don’t know I’m hungry until I crumple to the floor. I will be in so much pain I can’t think straight and I can barely move, but just don’t consider that something can be done about it. It’s just a sensation that’s there until it actually debilitates me and I have to acknowledge “oh, I’m in pain.” Also, being told by everyone that we aren’t hungry/full/in pain/thirsty/have to pee/etc habitually through childhood and that we have to just power through until the adults say it’s time to acknowledge the sensation makes it to where we can’t fucking tell anymore what our bodies are saying

Okay, for those asking about the link to ADHD, here’s some explanation. First, one of the most common signs of ADHD is a person’s relationship to pain in general. It can be directly related to chronic illnesses (which about 70% of people with ADHD or Autism have some sort of chronic illness/pain). Those with ADHD are also a lot more accident prone, mostly do to spacial blindness that is also a symptom of ADHD. There is also having both a higher pain tolerance and feeling every little hair out of place, even at the same time. Like, not feeling it if you punch something, but feeling a paper cut constantly. Because of this weird relationship with pain, most people, especially women/female bodies, will refuse to take medication in any way. It’s also a bit psychological, which ties in to what I said also about abuse/neglect. This weird relationship with pain was often never treated as children by the adults in our lives. Either being constantly told that we’re imagining it, we’re faking it, etc. Because of all this, we have no idea how to regulate our own pain scales and tell when our bodies are in actual need, or even what to do about it because we have only ever known to just deal with it. Hope this explains some!

Same except for day one

Eat something first, like a slice of buttered toast, and take them mid slice

Day one for me, but not every time weirdly enough. It's like I'm doing a roulette whenever my period hits, am I going to be able to function or am I not going to be able to keep anything down? It randomly turns it up to 500 for the first day on one cycle but then the cramps for the rest of the period are non-existent. It's weird and probably something I should see a specialist about.

@@stardasuperstar895 no same!! sometimes I’ve noticed they’re either terrible, on the floor crying type pain, and then the next month it’s like just really uncomfortable (usually gets worse at night) And then the rest of the week I’m completely fine.

​@@stardasuperstar895Oh my gosh this is the first I'm reading about someone with a similar experience to mine!! I will say, def go see your doctor! It can even be a 20 min phone call appointment with them. Some things I learned from my own experience: - try naproxen sodium (generic for Aleve) instead of ibuprofen for a bit to see if you notice a better effect (it made a difference for me!). Sometimes different types of NSAIDs work better for different people. - DO take Tylenol on top of either your ibuprofen dose or your naproxen sodium dose, they are safe to take in combination. Tylenol works a little faster, although not as strong as an NSAID which literally brings down inflammation (addressing the swelling/cramping directly), and it's worth having that extra pain relief to take the edge off more. - use a rubber hot water bottle or electric heating pad directly on (keep one layer of clothing between to prevent burns) wherever you feel the cramping, especially while you're waiting for the meds to kick in. - drink LOTS of water days before your period starts, and during the cramping. I've found that my cramps are often way worse when I've been dehydrated in the days before or the day of my period starting. Some things I learned from talking to a doctor (again, so worth it!): - Take your pain meds BEFORE around when you expect the pain to start. For me, I'd wake up in the mornings in awful pain occasionally, so taking a pill the night before was a literal game changer, and I wish I had learned it sooner! Pain meds like naproxen sodium and ibuprofen work best before the pain gets really bad actually. - there is some (although limited) research on the effectiveness of a TENS unit for helping women with cramps. Expensive though, and not often covered by insurance. Also not convenient for travel, and results may vary. - don't be afraid to consider birth control, like the pill on a low dose. They aren't scary like the fear mongering that some internet people would want you to believe. In fact, they are one of the few solutions that actually often address the problem at its root, by balancing all the fluctuating hormones (laymen's terms for how my Dr. described it to me) so that your hormones are held more consistent before your period.

Ibuprofen creates stomach ulcers and is bad for the kidneys (and probably the liver) while Tylenol is bad for the liver. Aspirin is a blood thinner. Every medication has side effects, if they didn't they also wouldn't work. You and your doctor have to decide if it's worth it and if the pain is bad enough that you can't function it usually is. From personal experience as a chronic pain patient there's a point where you don't care about the risks anymore, you just want the pain to go away.

@@DaydreamingSophie You only get those problems if you abuse those meds or take them incorrectly.

They shouldn’t causing those issues unless you’re taking them like candies or you’re having medical conditions.

​@@DaydreamingSophie you shouldn't swallow the ibuprofen whitout breaking the pill first into little pieces, so you will not have ulcers

They can be. A period is your your uterine lining being shed. You're cervix needs to dilate to accommodate this and that's what the cramping sensation is. It's why some women have a worse time in early stage labour than others. Because they're uterus dilating hurts. Extensive pain to the point of being on constant painkillers might be good indicator that they need a checkup but most doctors will just brush it off and prescribe stronger medication

@@cheyenneross758 no. Periods this painful ARE NOT NORMAL! it's an indicator of conditions such as endometriosis, PCOS, fibroids etc. These conditions are COMMON. This does not mean it's normal - someone who's researching this for an academic paper and presentation to gain a new qualification and is going through diagnosis for endometriosis and has many friends and family with it Edit: Mild pain is normal, but if it has an impact on your life e.g. You have to cancel plans and if ibuprofen doesn't work, it's not normal❤

@@cheyenneross758 yes. The hormone that causes your uterus to contract is called progesterone, and that's what causes the pain. Of course there's unhealthy levels of pain and conditions that make it worse, but it's just science. It's baffling to me that she thinks any pain is abnormal--because that means she probably doesn't deal with pain on her period. That's abnormal to me

I hope someone has educated him on endo and adenomyosis.

@@audreydoyle5268 well his school sure af didn't, but i did my part