I don't personally think there is a too long. Pain management is a quality of life issue, and you need to be on the meds until you don't need them... then eventually reducing the dosages over a period of perhaps a month to get off them altogether. Leaving them too soon sets up its own set of problems. I was on pain meds for a year, so without knowing other

Brian, stage 4 oral cancer survivor. OCF Founder and Director. The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.