Naturally I do not want to recommend alcohol to solve all of life’s problems, but have you tried brandy for cramps? I was more miserable than usual this month, and I think of brandy as pioneer medicine useful for treating everything from emotional shock to limb amputation, so I gave it a shot, as it were, figuring that even if it didn’t help with the cramps it would make me feel better overall (this is also my philosophy about sipping Drambuie for a cough), and it was near-miraculous. The cramps just WENT AWAY. I don’t know if it was the brandy in particular or if any alcohol would do, but I went from “too unhappy to have any dinner” ( <---- EXCEEDINGLY RARE) to "singing along with a Ke$ha song while scrambling eggs.” I didn’t even feel the alcohol per se; it was as if it went straight to the medical issue and dealt only with that. So I had a second serving, but if you don’t WANT the buzz you could stick to one and might not even feel it.
SO TIMELY! I am home from work shockingly early for this very reason. I don’t have any brandy, and plan on medicating with red wine, but will keep brandy in mind for the future do you have a brand you recommend?
I buy cheapish: whatever’s on sale on the second shelf up from the bottom.
Brandy is just distilled wine, so when substituting wine I assume just drink MORE.
I am literally having cramps right now, and am hiding out in the garage while my husband gives me a ten minute break from dinner prep / kid care (before going back to work….wah). I don’t think I’ve ever in my life had brandy, but I’m going to have to get some the next time we go to the liquor store.
Excellent advice and I thank you. **adds Brandy to shopping list**
Have you tried Apple Brandy in particular? OHHHH it is SO GOOD.
I haven’t! I think next month I will need to experiment!
I would also like to submit blackberry brandy for your consideration.
On the one hand, it’s nice that I don’t have to deal with cramps and period BS while pregnant. On the other hand, I have many additional aches & pains that I would VERY MUCH LIKE to medicate with brandy.
Sold.
Alexa, add brandy to the shopping list
I’ve been in a period (no pun intended) of mild cramps since having my first kid seven years ago, but I do suffer from back and neck spasms, so … that’s like cramps, right?
Oh I would think it was the exact same thing, or at least worth a shot!
My sister – a doctor of physical therapy – recommends a glass of wine as a mild muscle relaxant that’s safer than the prescription meds. (I’m assuming to family only, not patients. And I feel obligated to point out it’s a glass, singular.)
I got my first period back in 1971-along with debilitating cramps on the first day. It was really horrible. So bad my mom actually took me to the doctor (which rarely happened in my large family unless death was imminent) and he put me on birth control pills to try and help me out. It didn’t really work, so my mom would make me tea with a shot of whiskey-who knows maybe more than a shot-and that would knock me out. As long as I could sleep, I would wake up feeling better. But to this day, I hate both lipton tea and whiskey. Just the smell of it brings me back to those days of laying on my bed-wishing I could tear my womb out! Needless to say, I welcomed menopause with open arms.
Upon your recommendation, I had the husband pick up some brandy at the Costco liquor store (seriously….is there anything better than a liquor store attached to a Costco?!?) the morning of our first of two snow days (which is unprecedented for the area of the country in which I live). I didn’t have pain of any kind, just three bored kids who, after already having had Monday off for MLK day, were getting on my last nerve. Let me tell you, a shot of that in some Starbuck’s hot chocolate (also found at Costco, thankyouverymuch) made my day much more pleasant. Thank you, Swistle!