What’s particularly difficult about your situation is that he has tried medication. Well, has he gone back to his doctor and said…“This medication doesn’t work very well and gives me back pain?”
A lot of people have difficulty with a medication and give up saying they have “tried”. I’ve seen this especially, also, in mental health. Someone will say they “tried” and that it “didn’t work”. My next question will be to determine exactly how hard they tried.
For instance, if someone takes one medication, have side effects and give up, I hardly even consider that an attempt! Well, it’s just that we’re all so individual. I know we call medicine a “science”, but give one medication to one person…it works like a charm. Give it to another, and it can cause a side effect.
It’s critical to GO BACK to the doctor and say…this wasn’t working well. I happen to know that there are usually a ton of other medications they can use! Why not ask him to see if there is another he can try. With another, he might not have that side effect, and who knows, it could be more effective.
Further, often a doctor will start a patient out on the lowest possible dosage, anyway. You go back, and they can increase it, as is needed, but he would need to have better communication.
I used to interpret in mental health, and we saw this all the time. A lot of people would leave, throwing up their hands. However, those who persisted were the ones who did best, in my opinion.
They would come back and say, “Doctor, this didn’t work well. In fact, I’m WORSE!” He would often say, “That’s normal…give it 2-6 weeks. If, after 2-6 weeks, it’s still not working, we can change the medication and try another”.
It’s trial and error, in a way. If you want to solve this, persistance is key. So, my suggestion would be to go back to the doctor, tell him and see what he says.
Oh yeah, and as I say, they typically start low and gradually increase the dosage, as needed, another thing.
Good luck!