Worse Pain Symptoms Before Period: Anyone Else?

I used to get debilitating headaches, migraines and neck aches anywhere from two weeks to a few days before my period. Nothing I did got rid of them. Not Advil and Excedrin or ice packs etc. it was all I could do to manage them and function. I had six children and caring for them was difficult during the really bad days. Then as soon as I started my period the pain would start to dissipate slowly as my cycle continued. After one of the babies were born I was having a recheck and happened to be in that pre-period pain especially in my neck and my doctor told me to try water pills (diuretics) about two weeks before I was due. Start with the smaller dose and work up to the max per day as it got closer. And it worked. It was such a relief. It wasn’t always fool proof but it was helpful. He just said he thought the back and hip pain. But it was still controllable with Advil or something. But the head and neck pain was inconsolable. As usual though I’d forget to do it one month and then maybe for a few months at a time then I’d remember again and so on. But ultimately when my periods stopped and I went into menopause my headaches and neck aches lessened to a huge degree. I rarely get headaches anymore and I do have arthritis and bone spurs in my neck so I take a muscle relaxer every night and that keeps my neck pain right down to barely anything most of the time. That menstrual cycle can really wreak havoc on us!!

Most definitely I have a week long flare up every month!!

Yep. I remember not being able to hold or grab things heavier than a pencil... It sucked.

Yes, I definitely do.