I did change doctors. Or, rather, searched for a doctor who dealt with pain. My current doctor deals with a lot of elderly so he can recognize when someone is in pain.
The different doctors I saw prescribed the various meds I mentioned. Even after getting the narcotics I saw another "pain specialist" and the first words out of his mouth were, "The first thing we're going to do is get you off those pills" referring to the narcotics. My immediate reply was, "No, that's the last thing
we're going to do."
In hindsight I should have held my tongue as he hadn't given me the steroid shot yet.
The injection did nothing to help.
One doctor gave me an injection which completely relieved the pain. He explained it was similar to what one receives at a dentist. It "freezes" the nerve but only lasts a few hours. The down side being if the injection missed the spot it may deaden the nerves to my legs resulting in my being unable to walk for a few hours. Not a viable solution.
As for prescribed meds being legal some folks sell the meds. If a doctor prescribes those meds and their patient is caught selling them it means the patient didn't require them and that doesn't look too good on a doctor's file. And don't forget there are dishonest doctors, as well.
My doctor sent me to a pain specialist and the specialist prescribed the meds. I was instructed to increase the dosage until the pain was relieved, then return to my family doctor and let him know the dosage I required. From that point on my doctor refilled the prescription.
It's not an exaggeration to say the meds gave me my life back.
Over the years I've participated in pain forum discussions and many people are suffering due to their doctor refusing to prescribe the proper meds, not to mention those who can't afford them. That is the crime but as Sarah Palin recently stated if entitlement programs are cut people will develop an entrepreneurial spirit but that's for another thread.