What other medicine besides narcotics can i use to help pain after an upper spinal surgery?

There may be muliple: Options depending on your age and other medical conditions as well as the type of surgery (fusion involved or not) ranging from tylenol, (acetaminophen) nonsteroidal anti inflammatories, neurontin, lyrica, cymbalta, amytriptyline for a few more common ones with some used in combination. Talk to your surgeon about your options or a pain management specialist in conjunction with your surgeon.

multimodal: One of the more recent attempts to control pain after surgery is to really try to treat it in a 'multi-modal' fashion. That is to say using medications that work using different mechanisms to try to cover the multiple potential causes of postoperative pain. This can include things to contron inflammation (ice, anti-inflammatories), muscle spasm (relaxants, benzodiazepines), and central pathways.