Well, Kristine, they usually don't work. What most opiate pain killers do with someone who has FM is make them not care that they are in excruciating pain. They don't actually kill the pain. I use 2400 mg of ibuprofen over 3 doses a day. It helps... some, but doesn't kill the pain like a good nights sleep. Once my doc put me on Xanax during the day to keep me untensed from stress, and Temazepam to get a good nights sleep, my pain quickly went away. Well, at least the FM pain did. Sleep hasn't done anything to help the arthritis much and since I have it in both knees and hips, both shoulders, my neck and my entire lumbar area ... there's still enough pain to contend with.