Hello Marie,
Welcome to HW. I'm sorry, though, for the CP issues that bring you here.
I'm sorry that I don't know anything about
AFP.... but have you tried using our search feature, on the upper right side. You might find some past threads to read through.......
But hopefully those w/ your condition will see this new thread - and will comment!
Elavil (amitriptyline) is a common medication as a starting point for pain. It's technically an anti-depressant, but it's not used for that much anymore (as there are newer and better drugs for depression).... but it's now used to treat various forms of pain, including fibromyalgia and headaches; it's used to help with sleep, as the med can cause drowsiness; it can be a good med for nerve pain in particular; etc.
20mg is still on the low dose of Elavil. I think starting dose is either 5 or 10mg........ and it an go up to 100mg++. So you can see that you are still on the low end. But sometimes that's all it takes to make significant improvements..... OR to not have side effects. It can make people VERY, very sleepy (which is why most take at night)... you can also wake up with cotton mouth (just very dry mouth).. Just watch for drowsiness, especially driving, etc.... just until you know how it's going to make you feel.
Edit: I looked up AFP and Elavil - and found this study.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16146306 So, it seems like definitely a med used for AFP.....
Good luck....... and again welcome. Hope you'll keep posting and that we get to know you.
Take care, Tina