Thanks all for the help! Regarding the above suggestion that I try some other medication, such as weed - I suppose I could ask about that, or just try to get it somehow on my own and see if that would help me. My only concern about that is I have only ever done that two times in my life, when I was in college, and as I recall, my reaction was very bad. While everyone else seemed to get relaxed and happy and a little goofy, I was edgy and anxious and started worrying uncontrollably about really stupid things, and I didn't like the experience and kept asking my friends over and over "will it stop soon?" I think maybe it is possible that it maybe wasn't just weed? Or maybe it was. I know some people get paranoid and unhappy when they use that and maybe I am just in the extreme of that category, which is unfortunate for me. But maybe I could try again and see if it would be different. I have been prescribed just about every kind of NSAID and non-narcotic pain reliever, and they have tried weird things too like an anti-depressant that is supposed to help with pain as a side effect, though I have no depression. And hormones and birth control pills too - but none helped much and had their own awful side effects that really made me unhappy. Nothing helped much, sadly. I've tried all kinds of alternative treatments too, to no avail.
My situation is odd. I have very severe endometriosis, a slightly tilted uterus and most recently have developed both fibroids and ovarian cysts. So it is a perfect storm of debilitating, nearly unbearable pain once a month, and now pretty significant moderate to severe pain in between. The options for treatment are unpleasant. We've tried so many things with limited to no success. I could have surgery, but am very young for a hysterectomy. So most recently, I think in frustration, I have been given these pills. I take as little as I possibly can to get by. But in fact the pain I am in sometimes is hard to even describe. And it interferes a lot with my job, my social life, everything. I also do volunteer work helping unwanted pets and feral cats, and that becomes impossible sometimes too, and I just end up staying home curled up in bed trying not to cry from the pain and from the mere fact that I can't do anything. It is really frustrating.
That said, I don't think adding an ongoing addiction to the mix is a good solution either. And I hadn't even thought about tolerance! I didn't know about that. So far the 10 mg (5 mg twice a day at most) has been enough for me to manage on the bad days, and I take 5 on the not as bad days. It's frustrating because at least with this medicine I can get through the very worst days and still do my work, even sometimes go out and see friends, work with the animals, etc, and have some semblance of a life. There is still pain, but it is tolerable and not crippling. But I suppose that won't last, and I will inevitably need to increase this. Wow, frustrating stuff!!
I could try to go to a lower amount too, if that might help stave off addiction. I think I had better stop though, as advised by a few people here... At least for a week, unless anyone has other ideas. I am really scared of withdrawal - I dread that more than pain even so want to avoid getting to a stage where that could happen to me. And it sounds like, from what I am hearing, that even with this low dose (I assume it must be low based on the comments and that it is less than I was told I could take) I am walking a fine line here, and I will develop tolerance and have problems.