• Effectiveness

  Major (for gastrointestinal dysmotility)
• Side effects

  Mild (hot flash after eating, flushing)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 400 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: 5-HTP is a serotonin precursor. Serotonin is well-known as a hormone that affects one's mood in a positive way, but it is probably less-well known that it increases intestinal motility. It has worked magic for my symptoms. I am completely regular now, and the majority of my days are good days, whereas before I began taking it the majority of my days were bad days that began with symptoms of constipation and intestinal pain or discomfort. For me, at least, this is not a prescription. I began taking 5-HTP after my fiancee'--who had already been taking it to help her mood and, primarily, her difficulty sleeping through the night--learned it can be helpful when taken for gastrointestinal motility, and I began taking it myself shortly after that (and felt its effects almost immediately). Although not entirely unexpected, my slightly enhanced good moods are a nice side benefit of taking the supplement. I do get some very mild undesirable side effects, especially during mid-day when I take twice my morning and evening dose of 100 mg. Sometimes my face feels hot and flushes fairly noticeably--and this may be intensified with eating--but those symptoms subside within probably 30 minutes or less.

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for anxious mood)
• Effectiveness

  Slight (for borderline personality disorder)
• Effectiveness

  Slight (for depressed mood)
• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for difficulty falling asleep)
• Effectiveness

  Slight (for major depressive disorder)
• Effectiveness

  Slight (for problems concentrating)
• Effectiveness

  Slight (for sleep problems)
• Side effects

  Moderate (vivid dreams)
• Adherence

  Sometimes
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: As needed

Advice & Tips: Wasn't sure if this was making my depression a lot worse. I also was having very vivid dreams

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Slight (for anxious mood)
• Effectiveness

  Slight (for borderline personality disorder)
• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for depressed mood)
• Effectiveness

  Major (for difficulty falling asleep)
• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for major depressive disorder)
• Effectiveness

  Slight (for problems concentrating)
• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for sleep problems)
• Side effects

  Mild (vivid dreams)
• Adherence

  Sometimes
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 100 mg Daily

Advice & Tips:  I feel like it really makes a difference the next day after I take this, especially when my depression gets really bad. I decided to stop taking it while I was on my mediation retreat because I wanted to see if there was a difference.

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Slight (for anxious mood)
• Effectiveness

  Slight (for borderline personality disorder)
• Effectiveness

  Slight (for depressed mood)
• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for difficulty falling asleep)
• Side effects

  Mild (vivid dreams)
• Adherence

  Sometimes
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: As needed

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Can't tell (for depressed mood)
• Effectiveness

  Slight (for anxious mood)
• Effectiveness

  Can't tell (for borderline personality disorder)
• Side effects

  None
• Adherence

  Usually
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 100 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: Not really sure if it is working, I don't really feel the need to take this at the moment, so I am just going to stick to Valerian root a couple times a week as needed

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Slight (for borderline personality disorder)
• Effectiveness

  Slight (for anxious mood)
• Effectiveness

  Slight (for depressed mood)
• Side effects

  None
• Adherence

  Sometimes
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: As needed

Advice & Tips: Made me feel just a little bit better, so I felt I could get through the day. Just a little tiny boost

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Can't tell (for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)
• Side effects

  None
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 200 mg Daily

Cost: < $25 monthly