A method of treating a patient for a condition characterized by symptoms that can be alleviated by interfering with or supplementing the activity of endogenous ligands on the a2S subunit of a voltage gated calcium channel, said method comprising: administering to a patient experiencing the condition an amount of one or more of L-norleucine, L-isoleucine, L-alloisoleucine, L-methionine, Lleucine, 2-cyclohexylglycine, 2-phenylglycine, 2-amino-2-norbornane carboxylic acid, 1-aminocyclohexane carboxylic acid, 2-aminoheptanoic acid, 2-aminocaprylic acid, and 2-aminononanoic acid under conditions effective to treat the condition, wherein when the condition is a hot flash or a symptom of hormonal variation, the compound is not L-leucine.