Hi there.
Its really difficult to get off narcotics once you have got used to them.
Let me be very clear in saying that a disease of your nature will get permanent cure only with surgery (disc removal).
One cannot keep taking medicines forever as they have their own side effects.
Delaying the inevitable will only make things worse and will compromise with the results of surgery.
The step wise treatment in your case would be :
1. Start with gradual taper of the narcotics and side by side start on a short course
steroid therapy like Methylprednisolone under strict supervision.
The regular precautions of not bending forward and not lifting weights along with regular
physiotherapy and diathermy will continue.
2.
Fentanyl skin patch can be added to the above protocol in case of insufficient relief.
3. Local epidural steroid injection by an orthopedician.
4. Surgery in the form of
Discectomy if all the above measures fail.
I hope my advise has helped.
Good luck
2. If after a short course of steroid