Adrenaline

[Tos92]

Good evening,

I hope everyone is as well as they can be :).

I have a question in regards to adrenaline. I have been experiencing random episodes of adrenaline without any specific cause and it has become very concerning as I get a huge anxiety rush with it. I feel it in my chest, down my arms and in my legs, causing shortness of breath. If it reaches a certain stage, it can cause my BPM to go up to around 160. Sometimes I feel painful constriction in the middle of my chest as my BPM goes up during these episodes.

I have discussed this briefly with my cardiologist who ordered a holter monitor test. However, he seems quite baffled by it and what may be causing it. As a side note, I have myocardial bridging and vasospasm.

Does anyone else experience this or have some knowledge on what might be causing it? I can’t seem to work out any specific triggers, although stress might be one but I am not 100% sure.

Thank you all in advance x

[bridgeit]

This is just a thought Tos; I'm not medically trained.

Adrenaline and BP are controlled by the adrenal glands that sit atop the kidneys, alongside the pituitary gland sited at the base of the brain.

All sorts of things can send hormones a bit wild, such as stress, menopause, diet (caffeine or refined sugar for example) and medication, to name but a few.

If nothing obvious springs to mind, why not have a word with your GP and ask about some hormonal blood/urine tests to determine the health status of these glands?

If nothing abnormal shows up this at least rules out the possibility of an adrenal/pituitary gland problem, which is useful for elimination purposes when trying to find a cause for your adrenaline rushes.

I hope you find an answer soon.

[Tos92 in reply to bridgeit]

Hi bridgeit

Thanks for providing your thoughts.

I have read about the adrenal gland online. My GP isn’t always helpful and usually brushes things off as anxiety. But I will mention it with the hope that it will be further investigated.

Thank you again

[devonian186]

Can you identify when these rushes Started? Does it coincide with some major events in your life perhaps to do with your emotional life, or a change of house or job or a change in diet?

If you can identify when they started you might be able to identify the cause and work from there.

[Tos92 in reply to devonian186]

Hi devonian186

Thanks for your response.

I noticed them late August/September 2022. At that time, my symptoms in terms of my heart health were deteriorating/becoming a struggle to cope with as my condition is a little bit niche and my meds weren’t helping - still aren’t to be fair. I think this was causing coronary spasms after having a major episode earlier in the year. This was initially what started these episodes and they have just come on sporadically since then without any obvious triggers recently. A part from being up and down with my condition, nothing else has changed for myself in terms of diet, job, lifestyle changes etc.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[AuntyEdna]

Hi just a thought have you had your Thyroid checked? Sounds like me a few years ago they threw anti depressants at me CBT courses then found my thyroid had stopped working! I have heart disease as well but the found that later .I found it a bit scary at times, hope it gets sorted 🤞

[Tos92 in reply to AuntyEdna]

Hi AuntyEdna

I believe my thyroid was checked once at some point last year, but can’t quite remember. I will propose this to my GP again, but she can be quite dismissive which doesn’t always help.

Thank you for your input