I started with two 5/750's four to five years ago. One in the AM one in the PM before my walks. Rode those until the pain in the middle of the day required a third one. Rode those for a couple years and had to give in and bump them to three 7.5/325's. Now, I'm having pain in between those because they don't knock the pain down as well or as long as they used to...or the pain has become worse...or both. I'm hesitant to go to four a day but I figure in another year, I may have to. I'd like to do it now but I wait as long as I can because I don't like having to use them...period.

I doubt they'd even consider operating on my back because it's not bad enough. Judging from what you're saying...mine isn't even close.

Like anything else, your body gets used to the pain medication. I knew a guy who went to a pain clinic...they would periodically, over years of time, switch him back and forth between hydro's and oxy's because after a certain time frame they just wouldn't get the job done.

And yes...they will buzz your head but the most dangerous thing is the euphoric feeling you get from them. I've been taking them long enough that I can't detect either and that's OK by me so long as the pain is decreased. To an addictive personality that euphoric feeling is probably what causes them to chase the illicit stuff or more and more of the prescribed stuff.

I also look at it like this...I'm 60 years old in a few months...I probably don't have another 20 years in me...do I want to risk becoming addicted to them or live out the rest of my life in pain??? Hard question, but I believe this...pain causes stress and stress will put you in the dirt as quick as anything out there besides something terminal like cancer etc.