Deitrus,

I have disc herniations in my lower back & degenerative disc disease from a car accident that I was in about 6 years ago. I was fortunate for a while to where my condition only acted up every so often, but after aggravating my old injury in work 8 months ago, it seems like I've been in pain more often than not, especially in damp weather, so I can kind of relate to your situation.

Right now, I take 7.5 mg hydrocodone/325 mg APAP for pain when needed, and it seems to be working out fine for my pain. You might want to do some research on it before you go that route, but IMO, anything that can completely take the pain away and helping me get through my every day activities is like a miracle to me. There's a high chance of dependency with hydro, so that's why I try to limit myself on how much I take, and there's also the side effect that some people experience where you have a heightened sense of euphoria, which is probably what ties it into being a potentially addictive painkiller.

You might want to give it a try, since it's in the opiate family like Oxycodone, just not as strong. If you're used to taking Oxycodone, you might want to try the 10 mg hydro/325 APAP combo, since the extra hydro might work more effectively for your pain threshold. I tried them before, and they were too strong for me, but then again, I'm only 5'2 and weigh about 125 lbs. Somebody suggested that I try a lower dose and so far, so good!!

For the days that aren't so bad, I just take OTC Ibuprofen. I asked my last doctor if he would prescribe me the prescription strength, but he told me that if I took 3 OTC 200 mg Motrin, Advil or even the store brand, that it will give me the same amount of relief as a 600 mg prescription strength and it's safe to do this. I've only gone as far as taking 2 at a time, but that might also be something that could help you out with pain, since it contains an anti-inflammatory agent and while it doesn't completely take the pain away (at least for me), it dulls it to the point to where I can at least function.

I hope this helped to answer some of your questions, and good luck and I hope you're feeling better soon!!

Eeyore