Misoprostol and Severe Pain: What Users Say

• Cam...
• October 13, 2020

For Abortion "Found out I was pregnant soon after finding out I was hit with horrendous morning sickness which was exacerbated by reading the reviews. I was being sick up to 5 times a day, and all I could think about was how sick I would feel when taking these pills! I took the first tablet a day before, this just made me feel sicker. 26 hours later, I took the 4 Misoprostol with two 15mg codeine. As soon as I started feeling cramps, I took another 2 codeine, but they started coming fast and sharp. After about 30 mins, I had to sit on the toilet and had some diarrhoea, and there was bleeding. I was also sick at the same time (not pleasant). I had about 40 mins of sharp pains but bearable, they stopped within the hour, and I passed some clots. I closed my eyes every time I flushed so I never saw anything. A day later, I'm having a regular period and have my appetite back, and have gotten back to my daily life! I will never get into this situation again. For me, it was not as bad as what people make it. Good luck!"

• Sun...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 10, 2020

For Abortion "Had a one-hour period of intense pain (about 3.5 hours after taking the 4 pills) where I was lying on my bathroom floor in excruciating pain due to cramps/contractions and unable to move. That being said, the pain was very short-lived and occurred right before the passing of the pregnancy. I had prepared accordingly at the advice of my doctor by taking 800 mg of ibuprofen and Tylenol in advance, but it did not take the edge off. I otherwise had minor cramps that felt less painful than a period and did feel fairly weak and tired on the day it occurred. Back to normal the day after."

• Anonymous
• September 4, 2018

For Cervical Ripening "This is a horrible drug with debilitating side effects. I was prescribed this drug to help dilate my cervix for a procedure. My OBGYN said it would only cause mild cramping. They couldn't have been more wrong! Within 5 minutes after taking it, I was in extreme pain, intense cramps like I've never had before, throwing up, diarrhea, shaking all over, and more. Worse I have ever been...and it lasted more than 15 hours! Wasn't able to have my procedure done the next morning from being so sick. Don't ever take this drug, it's simply not worth it!"

• Tee...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 12, 2020

"I had a pregnancy loss at 10 weeks. Pregnancy would not pass naturally, so I had to take misoprostol to force the tissues out. I inserted 4 tablets vaginally. Within 2 hours, I had experienced the most severe pains of my life. Tissues came out within 4 hours. These were literally contractions! I had severe pain right through the night. 3 days later, I am still cramping. The bleeding is manageable, though. I am wondering if the pain is less excruciating if taken orally. Most people who had mild pains took the meds orally and had diarrhea."

• Lee...
• May 19, 2020

For Abortion "(Very honest comment. If you want the truth and no sugar coating, which I personally prefer, read my review). I had a missed miscarriage at 6 weeks, which means my baby was no longer alive. I went online and read some forums saying it wasn’t too bad, but when I spoke with friends that have done this, they said to do the procedure because the pill is a bad experience. I wish I had listened to my friends. I inserted 4 pills at 12 PM with bearable pain, then another 4 pills inserted at 6 PM. At 8 PM, I started to feel horrible cramps with some period-like bleeding (I have heavy periods). Took 2 Tylenol. At 9, I was in excruciating pain. 12:20 AM, I felt something coming out the size of an orange. I bled a lot. My husband works in the medical field and said it looked normal and it’s what would’ve been taken out if I had the procedure. I felt like I was going to faint and laid down with bad pain and fell asleep until 4 AM when I woke up soaked. No cramping. Put in a new pad and it lasted 4 hours until I changed. I have a follow-up tomorrow."

• Swe...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 17, 2019

For Abortion "I was about 5-6 weeks pregnant, and it was just not the right time for us to have a child. On Thursday, I took the first pill at the clinic, and Friday night I started to bleed very lightly. On Saturday morning, I took the Tylenol and the anti-nausea pills 30 minutes before the second pill, about 10 a.m. At 10:50 a.m., I started not feeling well and went to get up to go to the bathroom. The second I got up, I was in agonizing pain! I then spent the next hour and a half in the bathroom with diarrhea and extreme pain that had me howling. Tylenol with codeine did not help. I ended up throwing up a few times from the pain. I tried to get up to go lay down in the bed and couldn’t even stand up straight, and the cramps came every minute to minute in agony. This continued until about 1 p.m. when I had a painful contraction and felt oozing come out. Now it’s 1:22 p.m., and I don’t have the excruciating pain and just feel as if I have a normal period. Hope to never go through this again."

• Maj...
• August 11, 2019

For Abortion "I was 7w3d when I took the 4 pills. I took 800 mg ibuprofen 1 hr before taking the pills. They began dissolving in my cheeks, and I got mild cramps, but after the 30 min when you swallow the remainder with water, the pain escalated DRASTICALLY, and all I could do was moan, cry, and rock in pain. I have never in life felt pain like that before, and I have tattoos on my ribs on both sides! I was shaking and felt myself trying to vomit, but I didn't let it happen because I was afraid I would vomit the meds. After about 30 min of agony, I felt the urge to sit on the toilet. I passed 3 large clots and lots of blood, that is when the pain minimized to normal period cramps. I fell asleep for a couple of hours, and the bleeding continued along with the passing of smaller clots. I gave it a 10 because it works, and it's super convenient to be at home, but beg your doctor to prescribe you something stronger than ibuprofen for the beginning cramps because it's unbearable!"

• End...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 12, 2021

For Cervical Ripening "I inserted 2 pills vaginally (400 mg total) at midnight before removal of the endometrial polyp the next morning. My gynecologist mentioned it was for softening my cervix to make the procedure easier on my body. About 1:20 a.m. I woke up from crying and a constant sharp pain (in my cervix). I've never been pregnant before, but I've experienced contractions 3 times in my life to pass very large blood clots. This sharp pain was a whole new level - I barely managed to get off my bed to read the prescription notes. I was in so much pain I started hyperventilating, tingling all over my body, and having uncontrollable muscle spasms in my hands. My cousin, who is a nurse, took me to the ER. I ended up getting morphine, which calmed down my pain, and I was able to return home till morning. I was also bleeding. My gynecologist, in her 30+ years, said she never had a patient have this side effect. So it's rare - she told me to never take it again. It's been 3 weeks now, and I'm still having sharp pains sometimes."

• Anonymous
• September 26, 2020

For Abortion "Was reading these after I took the second pill and thinking how lucky I was to not be feeling any pain other than light cramping, but oh boy, was I wrong!! 2 hours after, I was in the most excruciating pain I’ve ever felt. I have endometriosis, so I thought it couldn’t get any worse, but let me tell you, it got 10 times worse. I was crying and howling like crazy in bed, then it would stop for a few minutes and the pain would be back! Went to the bathroom to pee out the blood, I thought, only to feel really hot and faint on the bathroom floor from all the pain and blood I had lost! After waking up on the floor, I crawled back to bed and lay there dizzy and feeling nauseous and like I was about to pass out again! This pain continued for the rest of the 4 hours, therefore, I only lost my tissue in the 6th hour, so I went through the entire pain process time!! 10/10 for pain! Would not wish this on anyone."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 19, 2021

For Abortion "Please, please don’t go by the horrible comments and stories on this thread. I delayed my cramps just because I got a very bad anxiety attack after reading the comments here. I was 2 weeks pregnant and took the 1st med at 11:30 PM and slept through the night. I had very little cramps. Post 48 hours, I took misoprost at about 9 PM orally. At exactly 9:30 (after it got dissolved), I experienced a very sharp pain which lasted only for 10 minutes, and then I was completely normal with no pain and no bleeding. This is where it got all messy, I started overthinking and got so worked up that I just couldn’t sleep the entire night. I saw spotting at around 2:30 AM. Woke up at 9 AM with a spotless sanitary napkin. My panic meter was at 100/10 at this point. This is when I saw the first clot and the bleeding started. I passed about 4-5 small clots and a huge one the same evening, and that was it! The process for me was painless and easy, but I panicked and made it super difficult."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 4, 2021

For Abortion "POSITIVE REVIEW! (I was 6 WEEKS) Had the Mifepristone Tue at 5:30 PM, Wed I felt nauseous/dizzy, nothing major. On Thurs, before I started the second part of the treatment, I took 2x Paracetamol, 2x Ibuprofen, 1x anti-sickness, then the Misoprostol at 10:15 AM vaginally (I was told that if you take the treatment this way, you're less likely to vomit/have diarrhea) cramps started, so I went to bed with a hot water bottle, they were getting stronger but totally bearable. Bleeding didn’t start for another 3 hours. At 2:30 PM, I inserted 2 more Misoprostol into my vagina, and not long after, I passed clots/the pregnancy. The cramps have now let up, and my symptoms are already going, this took 7 hours to complete. I’ve had worse periods than this! I didn’t experience any diarrhea/sickness/intense pain. My advice? PLEASE STOP WORRYING, keep up with pain relief, and own a hot water bottle. I’m such an anxious person, but I worked myself up for nothing, you’ve got this girl! Sending love ❤️"

• Ukg...
• January 16, 2021

For Abortion "Just under 9 weeks pregnant and took the pills, and I took codeine and pain relievers in anticipation of the pain. I then had intense cramps and passed some membranes, followed by extreme pain where I passed the sac. I spent another 3 hours in constant pain: unable to sit down, crying, breathing heavily. Took as many codeines as I was prescribed, and eventually I called the clinic, and they advised me to call an ambulance. My husband drives me, screaming and crying in the car to the hospital. I’m able to show them photos of what I passed hours earlier, which was the sac and membranes, but I’m in so much pain my heart rate is 160 bpm, I cannot talk, I cannot lay down to be examined. I have morphine, and it makes no difference! She even inserted a cannula into my arm, and I didn’t even feel it. Eventually, they examine me and find there are clots and membranes blocking the cervix, and he removed it. It was the worst experience of my life. I have had 3 sections and 3 miscarriages problems, and nothing was like this."

• Lan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 21, 2021

For Abortion "I was 7 weeks pregnant when I took the pills. I took the 1st oral medication at 7 PM on the 18th, of which I had no symptoms, and then followed it up with 4 of the vaginal medication at 7 PM on the 19th. I'd say around 1-2 hours after taking the 4 vaginal meds, I had mild cramping but no bleeding. At the 3rd hour, the pain got a lot more intense, and then I started with some light PV bleeding. I took the next and final 2 vaginal tablets around 3.5 hours later. Unfortunately, I personally found the pain to be severe (8/10). The intense cramping pain, which radiated into my back, lasted until 3 AM as the bleeding got heavier, and I started passing clots. I feel fine today and have zero side effects. I'm now just having a normal-like period but with no cramps. I am really pleased with my experience with this and would absolutely recommend it. If you can manage a few hours of pain (total 5-6 hours), then this is for you. Hopefully, my story has helped someone, and just remember everyone's body is different."

• Sta...
• December 8, 2019

For Abortion "The medication worked quickly, within about an hour, I started to cramp badly and bleed. The pain was intense for about an hour and a half, I was really shaking and making some moaning noises. I would say it was about an 8/10 on the pain scale-not as bad as actually giving birth, but it was like a constant contraction with no reprieve. The cramps settled down after an hour or so, and I was surprised how well I felt the day after."

• Meg...
• April 29, 2021

For Abortion "Took the first pill at the doctor's office, took the next 24 hours later, followed the directions perfectly. I took the pills orally, then after the half hour, I swallowed the pills and started sweating and shaking. I had to call my boyfriend to meet me in the bathroom because I thought I was going to die. A few seconds after he got to the bathroom, I passed out and stopped breathing. When I came to about 5 minutes later, he was on the phone with 911. I didn’t go to the hospital because I knew it was just a bad reaction but spent the next 10 hours throwing up anything I tried to put in my body. Horrible pain, but after that ten hours, I was completely fine, just felt heavy period cramps, which, compared to blacking out and nonstop puking, was a cakewalk."

• Mim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 24, 2021

For Abortion "I was prescribed 10 mg Norco and 800 mg ibuprofen. Even still, the pain was so severe. I will opt for a surgical abortion if this ever has to happen again. I couldn't lay down nor stand, I was crawling on the bathroom floor for the most part, and then a huge clot and sack expelled, and I finally felt relieved. I was in excruciating pain for 3 hours straight. It worked, so I will give it a decent amount of stars, but I wouldn't recommend."

• Anonymous
• April 18, 2023

For Abortion "It really is true when they say everyone is different! I did lots of research before opting for the medication and was feeling hopeful. Took the first dose the day before as instructed and felt slightly nauseous and experienced light cramps. The following day I took ibuprofen in readiness and continued with the treatment and inserted 4 of the misoprostol vaginally. Within 30 minutes, I was vomiting and in severe pain, it was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. I do usually suffer from heavy and painful periods, so I think this may be why mine was so awful. It took 3-4 hours for the bleeding to start and the pain to subside, the whole time I was uncontrollably shaking. It made me terrified to continue with the rest of the medication, but I persisted and got through it. For anyone reading this, I would strongly advise on having someone around or on hand just in case. Not to scare anyone, but I think it’s good to learn about all experiences, good and bad, so you can prepare."

• Ble...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 19, 2022

For Abortion "I was 6 weeks pregnant. I drank misoprostol. I took 3 orally and inserted 1 in my vagina. I had light bleeding and passed small clots with intense pain in my abdomen, but it's fine if you take hot coffee and paracetamol."

• Anonymous
• March 12, 2021

For Abortion "I took the first pill at 9 AM. The next day, I took the 4 pills under my tongue, and within 2 1/2 hours, I started to feel like I had to poop and felt cramps and bloated. I was bleeding already. I went to use the restroom, I got diarrhea and still didn’t feel good. I lay down around 3 PM for an hour. I felt nauseous, stomach pain, and cramps. I felt so horrible, with some very sharp pains that made me lay there and think about my life and what I put myself through. I felt something push out of my vagina and heavier blood, that’s when the pain started going away. I got sleepy and tired afterward, with bleeding."

• Xan...
• March 23, 2021

For Abortion "I am a person who has bad period pains. Anyway, I was 10 weeks pregnant (this was a few months ago). I don’t know if it was made worse because I was only a few days from having to have a surgical abortion, but I was in intense pain with very heavy bleeding for about 8 hours, with 3 hours of excruciating pain (however, I did lose the codeine they gave me). I thought I had a high pain threshold. I also saw the sack and the pregnancy separately as they fell into my pants when I ran to the loo. I bled for another week, but was in no pain other than that day. Don’t want to scare anyone, wouldn’t take it back for the world, worth it. But I’d say at 10 weeks maybe wait for surgical abortion if you have bad periods anyway. It’s hard to remember pain afterwards, but I remember thinking that it was the most pain I’d ever been in and that I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to give birth and if I did I wanted a c-section. Use a hot water bottle, pain relievers, and lie curled up on your side."

• Mil...
• July 10, 2021

For Abortion "Ok, so I read the reviews, and there are some people who are saying to disregard the bad reviews, it's not that bad, but all of our experiences are different. I was given the first pill at the office, felt okay, a little nausea, but I took a pill I was given to alleviate that. The next day, I took the other meds, 4 pills - 2 in each cheek until it dissolves. It literally started working right away, my speech was slurred, and I was in excruciating pain, nothing like menstrual cramps. It felt like death, if we're being honest, the pain didn't let up until about 6, and I took them at 12:45. I started to bleed almost immediately, then after about 1 or 2 clots were passed. My boyfriend was really scared for me. At the end of the day, it's not worth it, just do the surgical procedure because if it doesn't take for whatever reason, you'll have to do that anyway. Blessings, y'all... women go through so much, we don't get enough credit."

• Har...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 26, 2021

For Abortion "I took the misoprostol around 2 PM on Friday. I took all the tablets in not less than 10 minutes. I started feeling the cramps, but by that time, I had not seen blood, I was seeing mucus-like something. But then I saw blood and clotted blood on the pad. As days go by, the bleeding reduces, but I still feel the cramps and sharp pains. I took ibuprofen to help reduce the pain. Secondly, I was having diarrhea all through. I hope this helps. Don't be afraid, you are a strong girl."

• Lul...
• August 5, 2021

For Abortion "6 weeks when I took the pills. I was told to take it all at once orally and vaginally. I took it on a Friday night. Nothing. Saturday morning I woke up to some light bleeding, no cramps. I started to get worried because every review I read said it works within hours. Sunday started with some cramps and light bleeding. Monday the pain had started. I had INTENSE pain for about 3 hours. Thought of rushing to the emergency but then the pain seemed to become less and I went to the bathroom. The minute I sat down, it all just gushed out. An insane amount of blood. After that, I bled lightly for about a week with no pain. It literally took 3 days for my abortion to complete and the pain was WAY WAY worse than any period I have ever had. But it worked."

• Chl...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 16, 2021

For Abortion "So I was 9 weeks, 2 days. I took the first tablet on Friday at 9 a.m. Then the next day, I took the 4 tablets vaginally at around 10 a.m., then I just lay on the couch. Light bleeding started within 45 minutes, and then slight cramps and heavier bleeding started. However, I wasn’t in much pain and sat watching films for 2-3 hours. It wasn’t until around 1:45 p.m. (so nearly 4 hours after taking the 4 tablets) that I got quite bad. I was in severe pain, hot sweats, shaking, dizziness, being sick, couldn’t stand up, severe cramps. This lasted for only 20 minutes, and that was when the sac had come out. I then took the last 2 tablets vaginally. The pain was minor, but still heavy bleeding. I took codeine for the pain and fell asleep for around 4 hours. Pains and bleeding lasted around a week after, but I was able to get back to normal life the day after."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 14, 2021

For Abortion "So girls, I read the reviews on here for at least 2 weeks and it really did put my mind at ease. However, I’m here to share with you my experience. I was 8 weeks and took the first tablet yesterday at 2 PM and had zero side effects. Today at 2 PM I inserted the 4 vaginally. At first, it felt like normal period pain, just cramps but no bleeding. 4 hours later the pain intensified and I can only imagine this is what it feels like to be in labor! The pain for me personally is 11/10 and the worst part of it is there’s no blood! So I took the emergency 2 tablets to dissolve in my mouth. It’s now been an hour since I’ve taken them and I’m still in excruciating pain and still no blood :( I’ve been taking paracetamol and ibuprofen all day and nothing really helps. Really hope this works out! Not to scare you girls but please be prepared in case of pain, a hot water bottle is helping a tiny bit but yeah just be prepared. Good luck girls x"