Over the counter painkillers

[Rose244]

Hi, I’m waiting on scan & further steps to manage my endo & adenomyosis. The pain is getting harder to manage & I’d be grateful for suggestions of pain relief that might work better than current ibuprofen, panadol & hot water bottles Have just been reading it’s better to start ibuprofen before day 1 of period but it’s been difficult to know when that is….& I wasn’t sure if it should be taken for more than 3 days.

Thanks for any advice

[Dee_EndoUK Moderator Endometriosis UK]

Hi Rose

Sorry to hear you're really struggling with pain at the moment. You may find our Endometriosis Treatment Pack useful for pain relief options. This can be downloaded at endometriosis-uk.org/pain-r...

Many endo sufferers find that pain needs to be tackled on several fronts, including the traditional pain relief you mention (though please do make an appointment with your GP if you feel you might need something a bit stronger than Ibuprofen/Panadol), alongside something like a Tens machine, complementary therapies to help you manage stress (which can make pain worse). Improving your diet can also make a difference, but please do consult a professional if you are thinking of going down this route. Alternatively, there is a great book by Dian Shepperson Mills - Endometriosis: A Key to Healing through Nutrition that you may find of interest. Like I say, it's best to try a range of strategies and, together, they should start to make a difference to your pain levels, and your ability to manage the pain.

Take care - wishing you all the best x

[Rose244 in reply to Dee_EndoUK]

thank you Dee - I’ll have a look at the link & appreciate your other suggestions 😊

[1880emma]

Hi Rose

Like you I have endo and adeno. I’ve had 1 lap where a lot was taken out of the endo . I have naproxen and prescription strength codine along with tramadol for really bad times

I usually start taking my naproxen a day or so before to give it a chance to start working.

I have also found a lot of relief from using supplement

I take NAC which is a natural anti inflammatory

Agnus Castus which is said to help balance hormones etc and also peppermint as that seems to help with stomach issues etc.

I also took Serrapeptase for several months which is an enzyme that is said to help break up and eat scar tissue which definitely helped

[Rose244 in reply to 1880emma]

thanks Emma, I’ll look into your suggestions & ask my GP about naproxen. I just don’t know which condition is causing most of the pain