I hate to ask for more advice but....

I don't know what to tell you Tuna.  A lot of docs who prescribe a regular acting narcotic assume that the patient is going to take it as needed, and sleep sometime.  Even though it's not fair, I can kind of see what the doctor is saying if the prescription read to take it every X amount of hours as needed, as opposed to four times per day.  However, I hope that your pain management appointment goes well.

As for age playing a role in your pain management, it shouldn't, but it might.  I'm relatively young, and have gone the route of physical therapy,  both at home and in office, occupational therapy, a TENS unit, Epidural Injections, Nerve blocks, and medications.

Depending on your doctor's point of view, he/she may not prescribe anything until you give physical therapy a try.  

Gtrplayer

     Dude,  you need a new doc.  The staff where I go is pleasant,ready to assist(accommodating me a day or two late or early) and professional, as is my MD.  He actually takes the time to put his hands on me and give a physical exam!

     Also, I would almost guarantee your bottle says "as needed" somewhere, so the md's staff would say "you're not supposed to take those around the clock.  They are very habit forming and doctor doesn't like to write for them".

Controls are very rarely given as a frequency med, such as bid(twice a day) or qid(4 times a day).  They are PRN, which means "as needed".

On their side of the coin (all stories have 3 sides:your side, their side and then the truth!), the government and DEA are watching closer than ever.  Years of experience and "grapevine" info brought me to mine.  If I knew ur area, perhaps I could suggest, but I won't do that.

Hope this helps, I worked in 3 hospitals and know the inner workings of all things medical.  Let me know if you need any more info or anything specific.

Doc

I AM NOT A DOCTOR OR PHARMACIST. I HAVE GAINED MY KNOWLEDGE THRU EXPERIENCE AND/OR RESEARCH. 

That's the problem with the doc not actually seeing you.  Had the doctor who Rx'd the Percocet seen you, he/she would have given you specific instructions on the medications.  I know that in a pain management clinic, when a patient doesn't want to go on an Extended Release medication, they will stress to take the tablets X amount of times per day, so as not to get behind the pain, since you are essentially taking breakthrough pain medicine as around the clock therapy.  That being said,  doctors still have to assume that, even with a script written to take 1 tablet every 6 hours, a patient will, at some point, sleep.  So, while the math is correct that 30 tablets would run out at 7.5 days, it still might look a little odd that the medication request came so soon.  I also imagine that your doctor might have been assuming that one tablet would actually last longer than 6 hours if you've never had anything stronger than tramadol.

Best advice is to get in to see a pain specialist.  I'm surprised that the doctor took the call on a Saturday, as most doctors offices state to only use the emergency access number in the event of a true emergency.  I know that some pain management clinic phone messages say specifically, "Pain is not an emergency, however; if you feel that your pain is excruciating, please go to the nearest emergency room".  I think they typically reserve the phone answering system for emergencies such as drug interactions, or very unpleasant side effects and the patient doesn't know whether or not he/she should go to the ER, or if it's just a side effect of the medication and wants to check with the Dr. first.

Gtrplayer

He expects you to wake up in the middle of the night just to take pain medication?  I would ask why he doesn't prescribe a 12 hour medication to get you through the night with your sleep unimpeded.  That's borderline ridiculous, in my opinion. 

Gtrplayer

I had my arm severed off. I was in a Coma the whole 9. This was many years ago. the Arm was saved and put back on but with not much luck. I suffer from great horrific nerve pain, (many nerve grafts)...It took me many years to finally get help. I am on 80mg of brand name OXY QID 4 a day. I finally get some relief, but that is still not enough but where do you go, how do you get more etc. without looking like an addict. My Doc. is pretty helpful but made me start @ percs then 20 40 oxy 2 a day than three a day to finally I am where I am now. the whole game stinks just prescribe heavy duty pain meds to clear cut patients and let us live a half normal life. And I am almost 40.

Where do you go?  Are you on neurontin or lyrica, elavil or cymbalta, are you using the lidoderm patch?  Have you tried nerve blocks?  Switching to another narcotic once you have developed tolerance my also help.  Technically their is no ceiling on the effect of narcotic agonists.