I've used Vioxx to alleviate my killer cramps. It's like a miracle drug. A few years ago, I took Anaprox which was great. I think that they are in a class of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and work by reducing hormones that cause inflammation and pain in the body. They are not a form of birth control. I strongly recommend them.

Hi ladies,

NSAIDs include ibuprofin and aleve, which you will probably find alleviates cramps better than acetametophin (sp?) -- aka tylenol.

yes
 

What a coincidence, I dread my girlfriend's, and most other girls', periods as well.

-Rudey
--Does the doctor make duck noises by the way while he's working in the "no no area"? I'm so immature.

I too get the cramps from he!! - I take ibuprofen. A couple of years ago, a doctor recommended Vioxx for me... apparently this is "the best thing" to take for cramps. Just one little problem... it takes about 8 hours to kick in (at least for me) whereas ibuprofen takes about 1 hour. Since I didn't enjoy spending 8 hours curled up in a ball crying, I went back to the ibuprofen. You have to go with whatever works for you.

(Man... I am REALLY not looking forward to childbirth :eek: )

Birth Control made me sicker!
 

I also get pretty terrible cramps...so a couple years ago I decided to try Ortho-Tri-Cyclen...let me just say that I have never been so sick in my life! Every morning I would get up and immediately throw up every day...it was like having morning sickness all the time...i even had to miss classes sometimes. I tried everything...taking it with food, taking it at night...in the morning...nothing helped. I switched to Estro-step and i stopped throwing up but i still experienced nausea pretty bad.
Personally, I would rather have cramps then go through that again...I will never take BC ever again! I take Naproxen for my cramps and it works really well. (It's like an ibuprofen)
Has anyone else gotten sick from BC?

I've never been on birth control but I actually thought about it several times because my period lasts 7 days and my first day cramps are unbearable. I hesitated going on the pill because my periods have always been regular. I can tell you exactly what day I'm going to start and when I'm going to end. I can even tell you what the schedule looks like six months from now.

It's pretty bad when I am just sitting there and then all of a sudden I break out in a sweat or I can't pick my ass up off the floor.

I used to take 1500 mg of some kind of pain killer two or three times a day (yes, I know this is bad but it was the only thing that took the edge off) but now I have a prescription for Naproxen! It's amazing that I can take one or two throughout the entire day and I can be cramp-free!!!

I didn't get sick, but I did get moody and had continuous spotting for something like two months! I also gained some weight, but I was on such an insane workout schedule that it only showed up in my boobs. :) Now I'm getting married, and while I don't want to go back on BC, I'm not sure what my other options are. Diaphram?

I'm on Ortho-Tricyclen and i love it even though I have gained weight :(

My experience with cramps has been the same as most of you. Once I got off the pill the cramps and heavy bleeding came back just as bad or maybe even worse.
I
was on Alesse for awhile but it really messed with me emotionally. It made me really angry for some reason. I've also been on Nordette but my doc took me off of it due to weight gain.

If you don't need the pill for bc reasons then try the anaprox. I've heard that it works very well.

I really had a lot of problems w/ throwing up. The first time I went on anything I was nauseated/throwing up for a solid 2 months. It was hell!!! I gained a little weight but nothing too bad, like maybe 3 lbs (which on someone my size is pretty noticeable). Does anyone know of other pills that don't cause quite so much tummy upset?

I have read this in Cosmo, and dozens of other women's magazines, I have heard friends who tried it and even done it myself, and would like to know if anyone else has done this: When I take my pills, I ignore the last week (placebo ir supplements) and go straight from the third week of one month to the first week of a new month of pills. I don't get a period, no cramps, and no adverse side effects. Great, especially during wedding seasons and summer's that feature light colored clothes. I have asked doctors and nurses about this, and the only thing that they've told me is to notify your doctor that you are doing it. One of the only reasons we have our periods anymore is to give us a physical sign to see whether we are pregnant or not. But hey, if I was that worried about it, I would just have my period or get a test.
So, does anyone else do this, or have they done it? Am I the only one?

I don't take the placebo pills either, however I do wait the seven days before starting the new pack. I've always wondered if it was okay to do that, start a new pack after your done with your "active" pills. I think I'll ask my doctor. It's nice to know it can be done.

I have done this before. The first time i did it was last summer when i was supposed to get my period the week i was going to CANCUN!!

I was a little worried it wouldnt work, but everything worked out really well. I still do it from time to time. I dont ever tell my doctor when i do it either. I think its fine if you just do it some times and not all the time.

I think i might call my doctor and have her give me a prescription of some pain killers because i dont want to be on birth control pills anymore.

I tried it once. I was going to be getting my period during my formal and my formal dress was white. Needless to say, the last thing I needed was my period with a white dress. I didn't get my period during formal but I was spotting for the rest of the month. It was really weird. Made an appointment with the gynecologist asap who said everything was fine and that sometimes that will happen. So, just be careful because you could end up spotting for the rest of the month.
BTW, I'm on Triphasil-28 and I have no adverse side effects from the pill. No weight gain, nausea, mood swings, etc. I love it because my periods are lighter and my cramps are manageable.

I dont know too much about birth control pills, but once my freind tried to explain to me why she didnt get periods, and now I understand. Instead of taking the sugar pills, she started a new pack. SHe has been doing this for about two years now, and she has never had any problems. I wonder what the complications of this would be? Maybe something long term?