He should make an appointment and return to his doctor that did the hernia surgery so that a medical solution can be found, since the pain is not clearing up on its own after two years.
I am female so am not sure if our pain is the same, mine is from nerve damage done from a hernia repair. They gave me a topamax it works as a pain management pill and it stops the nerves from snappsing (being so sensitive). They could also try a nerve block in the back which would elevate all meds and just block the source of the pain.
So yes the topamax has its drawbacks as it works all over your body, and nerve block can pinpoint were they block. But I've been taking it so long you learn to adjust. I can't remember if it made it harder to achieve completion.