Just a comment-I have been advised to avoid taking ibuprofen, naprosyn, aspirin, and vioxx because of my blood pressure-I am already on blood pressure medication, but those drugs seem to fight against it. They advise I take tylenol. I find it very strange how different drugs affect different parts of the body. Vioxx helped my fingers. Aspirin helped my back. Ibuprofen helped my hips. Tylenol does wonders for my feet! But none of them cover all bases :-)
The pain appears to be mainly in your joints, which is a clue that the symptoms may be related more to an arthritic type problem rather than a neurological problem, especially with a strong family history of arthritis. Talk to your PCP first and get a physical examination to make sure everything is ok. You may need some plain Xrays to look at the joints, or possibly even a bone scan if you have gone through menopause. Glad that the ibuprofen is working. 800mg is ok, bu watch for any signs of stomach ulcers such as blood in the stool and make sure you take it with food. There are newer, more expensive prescriptive medications similar to motrin that are safer for your stomach and help with arthritic pain such as celebrex and vioxx that may also be considered. Start with your PCP, and if needed - perhaps a rheumatologist. Good luck.