I was prescribed the amitriptyline for pain too...but it only helped with sleep and only those three hours a night.

Epsom salts...Im sort of bad. I fill up the tub with hot water (not steaming burn yourself hot but as hot as I can tolerate) and then dump a bunch in. Not very scientific, huh? But through trial and error I have learned to gauge the right amount. I think I was told by a physical therapist to do 2 cups though if that helps give you a starting point. Also important for me is to make sure your bathroom is warm because if you get out of a hot tub into a old room that can actually make you hurt worse. So if it's cold in there I will close the door with a space heater on in there for a little while, then turn it off when I go in there to take my bath but keep the door closed to keep it warm.

Lidoderm patches are applied to burning areas but I also sometimes use them in the areas that get the most abuse or that are the most sensitive or get touched the most. One example is that if I am feeling particularly sensitive on the shoulders and need to wear a bra, I will cut a patch in half and place them on my shoulders under the straps. Since I can wear for 12 hours it not only provides a barrier between my shoulders and the straps...but also pain relief. The patches don't make the pain go away but they do take the edge off which sometimes is the difference between tolerable pain and the kind that brings you to your knees.

Good luck with the various trials and things you are trying out. I hope you find some relief soon. If you have any questions about any of the things you are experiencing, please post new threads on here. The people on this site have literally saved my life with the things I have learned. Don't know where I would be without them.