Re:
Erm.....that was very much, erm, one of those things called a 'joke'.....??
I'm with you, in that I only ever take paracetomol normally, under extreme duress, and yes I'm sure these other drugs do build up over a lifetime, but trust me, the pain I was in, I would have taken ANYTHING if someone in the medical profession had said it would definitely work.
Being self employed, I think the effects of not being able to work were quite frightening - normally a happy bubbly and energetic individual who takes everything very much in her stride, I can assure you, the way I felt after 10 days of it, I was on the verge of some kind of breakdown, I just couldn't see how I would ever walk again, let alone ride a bike. These pills weren't a miracle cure, but by god, they were the next best thing. And that was without taking the full dose by a long way.
Maybe I am wrong, but I'm glad I've got a few left over - not for the black market, but so that if I ever get such a bad back again, I can take them sooner and break the cycle, thus recovering a lot quicker. In the meantime I am going to do my exercises I was given every day for the rest of my life! Anything to minimise the chances of it happening again.