What kind of pain medication are you referring to? I am taking Gabapentin which is a nerve blocker so to speak. It is also supposed to help you stay asleep when you fall asleep. The only side affect I have from it is a bit of dry mouth. My back pain is from a myafacial tear in my neck which caused my neck and mid/upper back to be stiff. I have since then gotten a new ergonomic chair at work which has lumbar support. So far within this week it seems my mid/upper back is better, but now the pain has sort of shifted to my lower to mid back where the support is...I hope this is only due to changing chairs and my body will adapt. Going to PT too even though I am not expecting that to help too much, time will tell.
Next step is possibly an injection in my neck...hopefully I don't have to do that.