Can they do a hysterectomy/bypass at the same time?

There is nothing controversial about identifying what's contained in a patent medicine.  A woman will obtain as much relief from Midol Menstrual Complete as she would obtain from 1000 mg acetaminophen (Tylenol) and 120 mg of caffeine, because these are the active ingredients in that nostrum, at the recommended dose.  For many women it will work just fine.  Many other women rely on NSAID-based therapies, and for many of them, an acetaminophen/caffeine mixture may not do the trick; in fact, it's likely that they've tried Tylenol any number of times in the past without relief. The only reason we're discussing this is because the OP related the fact that she depended on Advil, a NSAID, to treat her menstrual cramps.  This is a legitimate concern that she'll have to come to grips with as she decides what kind of WLS to have.  This is not all about you. /Steve

Thanks Steve - I did a web search on Pyrilamine maleate and the only thing that comes up is antihistimine for horses???? Its not listed on webmd or drugs.com - that kinda makes me nervous!! Time to send an email to the Midol people and find out just what the heck they think they're doing?? Thanks for the heads up! Edited to add - This is the email I just sent to Midol - I'll post the response when I get it. Pyrilamine maleate is listed an ingredient in your product. A web search shows this product is an antihistimine for horses but it does not come up in a search of any human medical sites?? What is its purpose in Midol - do antihistimines prevent bloating? Is it safe for humans? Your response is appreciated - I've always used Midol in the past but in light of this questionable ingredient I am pulling it out of my medicine cabinet - I would rather be safe than sorry for my daughter and I. Looks like a couple of Tylenol and a cup of coffe will do the trick.

That's correct, pyrilamine is an antihistamine.  It used to be a somewhat popular ingredient in many cough, cold and allergy medications in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.  It's hardly used at all in human medicine these days (except for its appearance in Midol). Like most "first-generation" antihistamines (others include Benadryl and Chlor-Trimeton), pyrilamine has rather strong sedative side-effects; it makes people sleepy and less alert.  It was added to Midol (way back when there was only ONE "Midol") to act as a putative "sedative" to address the "nerves" that are supposedly present in the pre-menstrual syndrome.  Never mind that there is and never has been any evidence that sedative antihistamines are effective against anxiety from any cause, least of all PMS!  It's just that as an OTC nostrum, the makers of Midol certainly couldn't put anything truly effective in , so they irrationally added an anti-allergy med that has the side effect of making many people sleepy.  Drug companies could never ever get away with this these days, but a med like Midol is grandfathered (grandmothered?) since it has been sold for more than 50 years. I think you're beginning to understand why I referred to it as "snake oil"; Midol was formulated back in a time when proof of efficacy was not necessary; you can be sure that many of these mixtures were not subjected to the kinds of scientific scrutiny that are expected today! /Steve

Midol was most likely invented by a man - I'm not sure what gender has to do with understanding what ingredients are in a medication? I believe foobears information to be very helpful - I love to save money and I also use midol one or twice during that week. If I can save some cash by taking a generic equivilent - sign me up - I'll let you know if I can tell the difference.  Do a web search on Pyrilamine maleate - its an antihistimine for horses - there are no listings for this ingredient on drugs.com or webmd.com - that kinda scares me!