John W26,
I live on disability. It's not much but I get by. You have to get a lawyer after being denied 3 times and If you can prove pain, you can prob get it but it takes a couple of years. As to the meds I was on so many for pain and anxiety and depression and I started reading up on them and took myself off most of them. The pain pills never really worked for me, the anxiety meds made me loony, and the anti depressant made me have terrible hot flashes...But, I'm so depressed now that I made appt w/ psych doc to put me back on anti-depressant. It's like your damned if you do and damned if you don't. Never go off any meds abruptly or you will be sorry esp. anti-depressants. You really need a good MD to help you out. Depression can really mess you up so going off Cymbalta which also helps pain might not work for you. So, I know I did not answer your ? but that's my 2 cents for whats it's worth! Good luck
Still trying to figure it out in NJ