Raiesd adrenaline levels

Hi All,

had a tilt test today as have been getting dizzy when standing up from bending down, very interesting test as you are laid down and a probe put on finger to constantly record bp and adrenaline levels, doc was surprised to find bp and adrenaline levels very high wen laid down but dropped wen stood up. conclusion bp high when asleep and dropping wen awake but adrenaline always too high

suggested need to continue sport as a way of releasing levels and have bp lowering drugs at night.

any of you clever people got any ideas why, as couldnt really get info on line . also anyone else had these sorts of tests?

ta George xx

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Hi Georgie,

Sorry to hear about these strange episodes you've had and that you've had to have a tilt test - I had one a while back and found it very hard to tolerate from the point of view of being laid flat and that affecting my breathing so I hope you coped with it okay.

I'm struggling a little to understand your question as I'm not sure that I understand exactly what test you have had. There are various ways to measure adrenaline levels in your blood, by blood tests, but these are mostly unreliable and expensive and are used mainly in research. The main way in clinical practice that adrenaline levels are measured is by collecting all your urine for 24 hours and analysing it for adrenaline and the metabolic products of adrenaline - it doesn't sound like you had anything like this done? As far as I am aware, there is no way of non-invasively measuring adrenaline levels in the blood via a probe on your finger. I appreciate that doctors sometimes don't explain things very well, but I wonder if it is possible that they gave you the wrong impression about the test?

Was it perhaps your pulse rate that they were measuring via the probe - which would then have allowed them to make a guess that if your pulse was high then your adrenaline levels might be high. There are lots of reasons for a high pulse, though, and adrenaline levels being too high for whatever reason would not really be top of the list.

The symptoms you are describing, and the fact that your blood pressure dropped when you stood up, sounds like postural hypotension - simply the dropping of the blood pressure on standing, causing you to feel dizzy or pass out. I suffer from this too - in my case it is due to damage done to my autonomic nervous system (the automatic bit of the nervous system that controls blood pressure, heart rate, etc) when I had an extended ICU stay earlier this year, and it is made worse by various medications that I am on. There are lots of possible causes of postural hypotension, though - medication is probably the most common one.

It is treated by removing the potential cause if possible - eg stopping medication that might be causing it. There are drugs that can be used to treat it, such as fludrocortisone, which is a steroid but a slightly different type of steroid to the ones that we are more familiar with - it does have it's disadvantages, such as that it causes water retention and tends to raise blood pressure (which is a no-no for me as my baseline BP tends to run high due to the pred!) and it is usually only used in severe cases. Otherwise, I find that keeping well hydrated is important - I certainly find that my symptoms are a lot worse if I get at all dry. Some people find support stockings useful too, although they are not the most comfortable or flattering of garments.

I'm sorry I can't be of more help. Maybe it would be worth going back to your GP once he/she has had the results from the hospital, and asking them to talk you through it? It is perfectly legitimate to ask for an appointment to do this if there is something you are not clear on. If I have made any incorrect assumptions or you do have more information, and you have other questions, do post and I will try my best to answer them.

Hope this helps a little

Em H

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i Emily,

thanks for the reply,

the dr was a cons, all be it a gerriatrition, i know that is spelt wrong, and the probe measured bp and pulse with a trace on his computer screen, he said that the trace indicated that the adrenaline levels were high, more so when i layed down. he asked how i slept, and smiled when i said not bad other than i pee every two hours, he said again that is a sign that adrenaline levels is high with the bp, apparantly the reverse of what it should be.

his advise was drink more in the morning, take an ace at night and this is where ii switched off a bit , have a faith! if i believe there is a higher being, ie god looking after me my levels will drop!, also deal with any chronic fear, did i believe i would die from my asthma, and if so not to worry about it and makew the most of life as you cant do any thing about it,

i was a bit surprised he brought religon into a consultation as he was obviously a believer, and that i should not worry about my asthma, he emphasised not to become blasea adout it but get on with life, i think i do very well and am quite chilled out, i do lots of sport, and get out every day, i do stiill have a job although it is not nursing that i am trained in, but it is a job that i enjoy.

I have taken on board the advise but not really getting much info on how and why these levels are high, will go see gp, could be interesting to see what more he camn tell me from his report, and take it from ther,

thanks again George xx

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I have no reason, but I get that a lot too. The doctors told me that it was common during the teens and puberty. I play a lot of sports though, and i still get it sometimes.