Advil (ibuprofen) or Aleve (naproxen sodium) do well if the pain is very mild. Note, you can not take these if you're gearing up for a spinal injection or surgery. You can try Tylenol (acetominophen) but I found it not to work too well on its own.
2. Vicodin (hydrocodone + acetominophen)
Vicodin is the next step up from the OTC painkillers. It lasts about 4 hours, and hits its peak of pain relief at the 1.5-2 hour point.
Keep in mind that it is a narcotic, like all those below, so you shouldn't drive a vehicle or make any important decisions while under vicodin.
Vicodin is composed of hydrocodone and acetominophen, and states the proportion of both ("5/325" means 5mg hydrocodone and 325 mg acetominophen). Acetominophen is toxic to the liver, so you should never exceed 4000 mg of it per day (or approximately 12 pills containing 325 mg each), but I would suggest keeping it below that.
Keep close track of how many pills you are taking per day. When you start getting to the 10-pill-per-day point, ask your doctor for something stronger.
3. Norco
Norco is effectively the next level up from Vicodin, with a higher relative dosage of hydrocodone vs acetominophen than Vicodin. For example, while Vicodin might be 10/660 (meaning 10mg hydrocodone and 660mg acetominophen), a comparable Norco dosage might be 10/325, or 10mg hydrocodone and only 325mg acetominophen. The lower acetominophen allows you to take a higher painkilling dosage of hydrocodone.
In terms of the way it makes you feel, it just feels like a stronger version of Vicodin. If Vicodin was working for you, but you have to step up your analgesic level, then Norco is the next obvious step.
4. Percocet (oxycodone)
A similar opioid narcotic to hydrocodone, but considerably stronger, oxycodone is also mixed with acetominophen to make Percocet (OxyContin is the time-release version without the acetominophen; because it doesn't have the acetominophen to prevent overdosing of oxycodone, OxyContin is highly addictive and my doctor said he almost never prescribes it anymore).
The dosages I took of Percocet were 5/325 and 10/325 before surgery. I was taking more than 12 pills of the 10/325 dosage on the day before surgery, so I would say this is the medicine of last resort. There is one more option - morphine - but I personally found it to not work as well. (A morphine IV drip would, probably, but the time-release pill, Kadian, did not)
