Hi.  I just read your post, and I am so sorry for the pain and distress you are suffering with right now.  It is a positive thing that you have a diagnosis, and now the next hard part begins.  Learning which meds your body will tolerate, which ones actually help and so on.  This takes time.  In the meantime, if you have a doctor that is compassionate and educated enough to give you pain medicine, you are a VERY fortunate woman.  You are not on a terribly high dose of percocet, but if you feel like you are spacy, you may need something else instead.  For instance, in my case, I use percocets immediately after surgeries only.  It makes me very wired, and when I use hydrocodone (Vicodin) I don't get a bad reaction.  Because I have been exposed to so many pain meds for so long, it takes a whole lot of anything for me to get relief.  Incindently, vidodin is usually less of a problem for doctors to prescribe than percocet, because it is supposed to be "weaker" even though in my case it works better.  My point with all this, is that EVERYONE is different, and there is no one drug or one dose that "should" be taken.  I would be a concerned with being "spacy" with so many little ones around.  But you will develop a tolerance and that is not a bad thing.  It should get to the point where it doesn't make you feel wierd, it just takes the brutal edge off the pain.  There is a clinical term for this called titration.  I know reading a lot of anything is probably not something you have very much time for, but reading about pain control, can be very helpful.  You are not a bad person if you seek quality of life.  Pain can really take a lot out of a person.  Especially someone who is trying their best to be a good parent.  Do the best you can with educating yourself and try not to be too hard on yourself.  You didn't cause this, and based on what you said about yourself in your bio, you are a very determined lady.  Attitude matters a lot in dealing with this disease.  I'm glad you are on this site now.  I hope we can all help!

Hey there! It's so hard when you are hurting! I had been on tramadol for a year. A very regimented dose twice a day every day, bad days I would take 3 pills 3 times a day. I started to realize it wasn't working for me anymore, but also realized that my body was addicted to that medicine. It wasn't working and the only reason I was taking it was to keep from getting withdrawl sickness! The last time I went to the doc I got some darvocet, which helps, but doesn't take the pain away. I say take your medicine, but be careful with it. It might be a good idea to change it up here and there just so your body doesn't build a tolerance, because then you will just have to take more of that particular med. I am pretty darn frustrated with my doctor right now, because there are times when I need something stronger, and when I call, they don't call back. It makes me feel like I am doing something wrong by even asking. Pain meds are a sensitive subject with doctors so be glad you have one that is accomodating! DO whatever you can to get through the day. I have a 15 month old baby boy who hits the floor running! Somedays I need al the help I can get! Hope you feel better!

My Rheumie didn't prescribe any pain meds for me at all, but I didn't ask her for any, either.  This is because I was already going to a pain management specialist for back problems, and he prescribed Vicodin 10/325 3x per day and Methodone 10mg 1x per day.  Both work very well for me!

My pain management specialist said I need to be careful about the amount of Acetominophin I take, because it can cause liver problems with prolonged use.

I find that both of medications help greatly with my pain, and I plan to continue taking them as long as I need them.