You should read what you provide.

[ShootMePlease]

I switched to Lybrel, the no period pill. Now I'm on its generic, Amethyst.

Lybrel has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me. My period was so bad at one point I had to resort to wearing plastic panties at work, as I wear khaki pants and I didn't want a potentially embarrassing situation.

I'm on the Amethyst now, too. You'll be happy to know that it costs just as much as the Lybrel now. I sure was happy to hear that when I called my insurance company because I damn near fell over when they told me 40 bucks instead of 10 bucks at the pharmacy. Either way, I'll pay it. Better than the alternative

[Merriweather]

My little brother would roll his eyes at me whenever I'd complain about cramps, and call me a baby...of course he's a male, he wouldn't understand.

If men had cramps, they'd be holding telethons to raise money for a cure. And a minimum four days off work each month during "that" time would be mandatory.

[MoonCat]

That N/A was nuts. My youngest sister used to get such bad cramps that she'd get nauseous, couldn't eat, was white as a sheet and spent the whole day curled up in bed. Couldn't go to school on those days. Thank god mine were only bad for a while when I was a teen, and then got a little nastier when they started to taper off a few years ago.

That's one thing I really don't miss. Yes, ladies, it does end eventually.

[Mishi]

That N/A was horrible, fancy saying such nonsense to a kid that's clearly in pain!

My cramps are better now that I've had kids, the pill didn't make much difference but it did stop the 3 on, 1 off that I had as a teen. It still feels like an angry cat is trying to claw it's way out through my ovaries, but at least I'm not in bed for 7 days anymore.

[Android Kaeli]

I know the feeling exactly. When I was in my early teens I would get cramps so bad that I did not go to school for a day or two, I was in bed and curled up in the fetal position. There were times when I did cry the cramps hurt so bad -- I hated it. I'm thankful that, now, I get those kinds of cramps once in a GREAT while.

The last time I had those kind of cramps, I was at work and had to lean over the counter to help. I told the SM at the time that I was keeping myself from taking the nearest sharp object to my lower stomach.

I think the best image I can give to the guys is like taking their balls in hand and twisting them tightly for five minutes straight, then releasing for a minute or two, then twisting the same way again -- and on and on and on it goes for hours on end.

[Amina516]

Obviously she's never had her uterus try to turn itself inside-out. That's what it felt like when I had those hemorrhage months.

Appreciate the visual I just got as this is what i feel like on a regular basis.

[Shalom]

For what it's worth, the wholesale cost of Lуbrel is currently $58.61, and Аmethуst is $41.95. This is what it costs me to get from my wholesaler; the chains probably pay less because they buy the stuff by the truckload. The cash price on drugstore dot com (Rong Aid's mail order division) is $71.99 for the brand, and $57.99 for the generic. The insurance companies pay them much less; probably close to cost. Depends on your contract with the pharmacy benefits provider.

It also might be worth looking into whether, if the generic is costing you $40, the brand may have a lower copay. That happens sometimes, especially with birth controls, if the manufacturer cuts a deal with the PBM to promote their product. Check your formulary list.

It's also worth noting that the only real differences between Lybrel and Alesse (a.k.a. Aviane, Lessina, Sronyx, Lutera) are, firstly that the Alesse has 100mcg of levonorgestrel and the Lybrel has only 90mcg, and secondly, that the Lybrel gives you 28 active tablets, whereas the Alesse gives you 21 active tablets and 7 placeholders. If you can't get the Lуbrel at any decent price, you might look into switching to Alesse, and take it continuously (i.e. skip the placeholders, refilling it every 21 days), giving you basically the same effect as the Lybrel.

You'll obviously have to talk this over with your OB/gyn; I don't think the 10mcg difference means that much, but the final decision must be the doctor's. If s/he agrees, s/he will have to write the prescription explicitly stating that it is to be taken continuously, or the pharmacy will have to treat it as a 28 day supply, and you'll get refill-too-soon rejects when you try to refill it after 21.

As to the NSAIDs, first of all, there are various forms of Midol, so you need to know which one you're taking. The liqui-gels are just ibuprofen, the Extended Relief are just naproxen sodium (Aleve). Both of these are NSAIDs. Menstrual cramps are (thought to be) caused by prostaglandins secreted in the body by means of an enzyme called cycloöxygenase-II, and the NSAIDS block this enzyme, which is why and how these two products work. There's nothing magical about the Midol name; you could take Motrin/Advil or Aleve, or generics for either, and they would do the same thing. There are also available higher-dose prescription strength versions of both, which might work better than the OTC ones, as well as Rx-only ones like Ponstel; consult your doctor.

<Cos>"Gimme the two pills, and don't tell anyone."</Cos>

(There are three other formulae: Teen, which is tylenol plus a diuretic; PM, which is tylenol + benadryl; and Complete, which is tylenol, caffeine, and a different antihistamine (pyrilamine). None of these are COX inhibitors, so they won't do much for cramping.)

[42_42_42]

my mom used to get cramps so bad as a teen that she'd black out.

me, I've had my ovaries removed, but still have the uterus (had ovarian tumors), so every month I get a migraine, cramps, flow, and hot flashes all together.

we're hoping to do embryo adoption (we don't have kids, the reason my surgeon saved my uterus instead of doing a full hysto). because of the adhesions from my surgeries, I'll have to have a c-section, so the plan is to have a hysto done at the same times the c-section.

[wolfie]

When I was in school, we were shown old films. In one of them (which I have seen recently), a doctor tells us that girls who complain of menstrual cramps are simply doing it to get attention. It really exists.

So because HE doesn't get debilitating cramps, they're not real? Someone who gets really bad cramps ought to give that doctor a good kick in the crotch, and then tell him that he's faking it because it didn't hurt that badly when SHE was kicked in the crotch.

[Nayeli_Sabia]

I'm another "Pain so bad I vomited" girl. My dad once thought that I had appendicitis, because he didn't think that menstrual cramps could be that bad. That, and the missing 3-5 days of school a month, where why my mom took me to a midwife so we could discuss birth control/pain meds. I chose prescription pain meds, and it mostly worked, lol.

One of my high school classmates asked me how bad it could be... I said it was worse than labor pains, and he basically said I was an idiot, since I'd never had a kid. Well, I've had a kid now, and I can say... labor was much, MUCH easier than menstrual cramps. I get breaks, and it only lasts a few hours, and it didn't hurt as bad, either.

And when I was in labor, I had a male nurse who didn't believe me when I said I would handle labor fine, since it would have nothing on my cramps... his response was that he'd never seen a first time mom go without pain relief. At least he came and apologized to me afterward.

Damnut, I know what my cramps and pains are, I know what I can handle and what I can't, so believe me! lol

[Moosenogger]

I have a teacher friend who gets so ill during her first day of menstruation that she literally vomits.

That Nurse's Assistant needs to be re-educated.