I have always felt that aside from Aspirin and some life sustaining drugs like thyroid hormone every drug would take a toll over the long term. For may though, the old "Quality of life" comes into play. Take the pill and be happy now and deal with the consequences later. When you are in enough pain it is not always the worst philosophy. I have never been able to embrace that though. As a parent, I worry about long term benefits. I have a lot I want to be able to see before I check out.