While it's good to hear that this drug's done well on a small (128??) group of people, I will be hesitant to prescribe it until there's a larger scale study. The mechanism of this drug is to block a receptor that's somewhat similar to one in your kidneys to retain water. I predict that major side-effects will include lots and lots of peeing and potential electrolyte abnormalities. I would be hesitant to try this drug if I had diabetes/kidney problems, were taking a water pill for blood pressure, on lithium for bipolar/mood disorders, etc.
Cramps are caused by prostaglandins (little chemical balls of pain) and so one of the best treatments is to prevent the production of these pain-balls with high dose (i.e. 800 mg) ibuprofen.
@Porcelina: Word. The one time I tried it (and didn't get high, sadly) it got rid of my migraine within 10 minutes. I went from being ambivalent about medical marijuana to hell yeah, it should be legal. No migraine medication has ever worked for me except for steroids (which can have nasty, nasty side effects) or just enduring the horrible pain sleeping them off.
That's exciting! I have at least one day a month where I can do nothing but writhe in pain, occasionally getting up to vomit from it. Can't go to work, can't go to the gym, can't do housework. Nothing but pain and nothing helps. If they need someone to test this on, they should give me a call!
@Beets.Go.On is the Fat Yogini: I am right there with you, except by the time I was 34, I was out of commission for five days a month. I tried every single alopathic and natropathic remedy on this earth (including hormones, which turned me into a stark raving lunatic) with no positive results (but for morphine, that is). What did work? I had my pain in the ass uterus removed in 2006 and never looked back. I most certianly would have signed up for VA111913 trials!
i had hideous cramps from the first day i got the dot~~ when i was 12~~ until i was in my 40s. up until then i relied on steadily stronger pain killers until my naturopath had me take 3 over-the-counter supplements: evening primrose and vitaminB complex from the first day of my cycle until day15; calcium-magnesium from day16 until i got the dot.
after doing this for 1 month, the cramps were completely gone. no expensive prescription. i was simply missing some nutrients that improved the tone of those muscles involved with cramping.
@msAnthrope: I have also read that eating a carb restricted diet along with lots of meat and vegetables can help in the same way. See: [www.marksdailyapple.com] .
Being that I love beer and other fabulous carbs, I haven't tried it yet.
I will definitely try the natural supplements though. Thanks for that! I'm not a fan of taking Advil every month, but necessity calls sometimes; if I can avoid it that would be great.
i know for a fact that, as a vegetarian, i ate no meat during that time, and didn't limit my carbs at all. the supplements worked without these dietary restrictions.
the years i ate meat every day did nothing to decrease the cramps. but i've never really reduced carbs in my diet.
The linked article doesn't mention it, but if you do happen to have especially painful menstrual cramps ~ and you have decent medical insurance ~ consider scheduling an ultrasound to find out if you have uterine fibroids, which are not only potentially pain-producing but can cause several serious side effects such as anemia or miscarriages. [/PSA]
@ritualtheory: And, unfortunately, be prepared to be angry that the newest and least invasive treatment for uterine fibroids is covered under almost no insurance plans! Absolutely worth having the test done, if you can afford it, though.
@ritualtheory: Yes, myomectomies thankfully are usually covered. There is an ultrasound therapy, approved in 2004, however, which has zero recovery time and is, unfortunately not covered and runs somewhere around $10,000 USD.
As someone would faint from menstrual pain at least once every other month during my teen years, I will be singing "I've got 111913 problems, but my cramps ain't one!"
10/14/09
10/14/09
Cramps are caused by prostaglandins (little chemical balls of pain) and so one of the best treatments is to prevent the production of these pain-balls with high dose (i.e. 800 mg) ibuprofen.
Let's wait and see!
10/14/09
10/14/09
10/14/09
10/14/09
They work even better with wine.
10/14/09
10/14/09
10/14/09
after doing this for 1 month, the cramps were completely gone. no expensive prescription. i was simply missing some nutrients that improved the tone of those muscles involved with cramping.
10/14/09
Being that I love beer and other fabulous carbs, I haven't tried it yet.
I will definitely try the natural supplements though. Thanks for that! I'm not a fan of taking Advil every month, but necessity calls sometimes; if I can avoid it that would be great.
10/14/09
i know for a fact that, as a vegetarian, i ate no meat during that time, and didn't limit my carbs at all. the supplements worked without these dietary restrictions.
the years i ate meat every day did nothing to decrease the cramps. but i've never really reduced carbs in my diet.
10/14/09
10/14/09
10/14/09
10/14/09
Ditto on the excellent Cramps pic.
10/14/09
10/14/09
10/14/09
Yes. Ultrasounds are criminally expensive in the States. I recommend Canadian residency for fibroid-riddled Jezzies.
10/14/09
10/14/09
10/14/09
10/14/09
10/14/09
10/14/09
This is just the first part:
10/14/09
10/14/09
10/08/09
10/02/09
[atlasobscura.com]
The website's a mess, but I can imagine the new museum turning out pretty awesome.