I would surely have a talk with the doctor about cutting your med in half. If it was working, it doesn't seem reasonable to change it, unless he/she was wanting to see if the reduced dosage would work. I try to give changes 2-4 weeks before I decide it's working or not. My pain doctor likes that I'm willing to put up with the pain long enough to be sure what helps and what doesn't.

I have always been a compliant patient and like you said to be willing to give it some time to see if it works helps with your doctor/patient relationship. The doctor is usually willing to be more helpful if you appear to be more cooperative. My pain doctor has explained to me that when lowering a dose of medication it often takes sometime for your nerve endings to adjust. This was the case with my last decrease. As I am preparing for my decrease (and I am scared as the new clinic is not likely to restore it to my current level if the drop doesn't work.) I been having bad pain this week and am praying that things are going to work out ok.