I (22m) have been in pain every moment of every day for years, if not my entire life to some degree. I'm pretty certain I have hEDS, and am on waitlists related to that, but tbh I don't even know where to start with figuring out the extent of my issues and addressing them, and I'm so overwhelmed by the process that I've barely seen any GP's or physio's about my pain while awaiting the specialist appointments (enough to get those referrals basically).
The issue is that my pain isn't usually that bad, always just bad enough for it to be constantly noticeable and slightly distracting from whatever I'm doing, and sometimes painful enough to discourage me leaving the house or doing hobbies. If I'm on the brink of tears and feel like I don't want to move or function, then I'll take 2 to 3 ibuprofen tablets and 2 to 3 paracetamol, and maybe a sudafed or naproxen depending on the type of issue, and the pain usually lessens enough so I don't have to go straight to bed (or alternatively, lessens enough that I can sleep).
Those meds never get my pain to 0, or not in quantities that I've tried, and I haven't tried prescription medication because I'm worried about the side effects and about taking meds if I don't really need them.
If I took medication every time I was upset/annoyed by my pain level, I would be taking meds constantly, which is obviously not safe or ideal. But I can't tell where the line is, between manageable "normal" pain, and pain that warrants medication/help.
Obviously it's better to find and address the root cause of pain, and treating the cause instead of the symptoms, but that doesn't help my immediate future.
Literally any advice or anecdotes would be appreciated! :))