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Adrenal Fatigue??

by DragonTU84, May 22, 2007 12:00AM
Hey all,

My name is Crystal, and I posted on here awhile back complaining about heart palps, chest pains, increased heart rate, sweaty palms/hands, cold extremities, head jitters/vibrations, electrical sensations in the brain and up and down the spine,  etc. that seem to be attributed now to anxiety and panic, along with an adverse reaction to the Serotonin in Zoloft and other SSRI drugs.

However, I have also been posting on the Neurological forum, and somebody brought to my attention the possibility that I suffer from a condition called Adrenal Fatigue, due to stress and over-use of the adrenal glands. It would explain my unpredictable panic attacks and anxiety, as the adrenal glands control the levels of adrenaline and cortisol released in the body, along with the mood swings I have suffered from for the past several months (I am generally happy, but when something upsets me I get stressed, cry, upset and frustrated easily). Yet I want to know what you all think??

Here is a link comparing the symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue to HypoThyroidism:

http://www.drrind.com/scorecardmatrix.asp

Here is another link just briefly mentioning the causes of Adrenal Fatigue:

http://www.womentowomen.com/adrenalfatigue/index.asp#causesexhaustion

Please give me your input/advice on this. Thanks!!
Member Comments (17)

by RCA7591, May 23, 2007 12:00AM
If you suspect Addison's ( adrenocortical insufficiency), consulting an Endocrinologist would be the first step.

Addison's is the result of decreased Cortisol or increased ACTH production. It is treated with replacement steroids (Prednisone).

The incidence is about 4/100,000 persons (fairly rare).

Chief symptoms are:

-Weakness
-Fatigue
-Orthostatic Hypotension (fall in blood pressure upon standing), which would result in dizziness or fainting
-Weight loss
-Dehydration
-Decreased cold tolerance
-Hyperpigmentation of the skin

In cases of adrenal crisis (life threatening condition), the signs are:

-Profound asthenia
-Severe pain in the abdomen, lower back, or legs
-Cardiovascular collapse
-Subnormal body termperature

Lab findings:

-Low serum sodium
-High serum potassium
-Elevated BUN
-Low fasting blood sugar
-Low Cortisol (plasma and urinary)
-Elevated ACTH
-Abnormal ECG - Prolonged PR or QT intervals

Info taken from Merck Manual 14th edition.

Generally, a person with Addison's would present with more severe symptoms than those that you described. More severe forms of the disease present with adrenal crisis, and are medical emergencies.

A quick test to include or exclude this is a 24-hr urinary Cortisol collection, or 17-Ketosteroids. Serial (multiple) tests are usually required to confirm the diagnosis.

-Ryan

by jgoo, May 23, 2007 12:00AM
im not sure but i have had the sweaty palms and heart racing, and mood swings to where when i feel like this i get mad and aggrivated, i beleive its anxiety, my hands will sweat profusely when i feel like this, my heart will race, i get cold chills....i get white spots on my arms and palms i dont know if you get that, but it sounds like its anxiety for sure...i take paxil for it, and i have had most of these symptons that you are explaining, sounds like anxiety for sure, but you might go to your dr and check, they told me its anxiety and of course put me on the paxil which helps..good luck

by DragonTU84, May 23, 2007 12:00AM
To: RCA (Ryan
Hello Ryan,

First of all, I thank you for your response. I do NOT suspect the full disorder, Addison's Disease. I am referring to something more minor and slightly different, namely ADRENAL FATIGUE. It occurs when the person has over time undergone SO much stress that it stresses out/"fatigues" the adrenal glands and insufficient releases of cortisol and adrenaline are released throughout the body, resulting in panic attacks, some fatigue, cold extremeties, low basal body temp., etc.

It is not full-blown Addison's, as you asked me about. Please read the links and let me know what you think. The links were in my first post on here.

It also explains that most sufferers are of the A blood type, and this could just be coincidental, and I know that my blood type is A+. It was just worthwhile looking into, I thought, and I wanted your all's input.

I apologize for my rather abrupt/short responses, but right now the entire house smells of gasoline from some unknown source, and it is causing me to get a headache and gag in my stomache, so forgive me if my responses are rather short and brief for awhile.

~Crystal

by DragonTU84, May 23, 2007 12:00AM
To: jgoo, RCA (Ryan)
Thank you for your concern, jgoo (and I have now moved the laptop to another part of the house so I can breathe more easily and not have to be struggling or holding my breath from gagging as I write).

Anyway, the reason that I am now bringing up the possibility that I suspect something else is going on is due mainly to my adverse reactions to the SSRI class of drugs. My Psychiatrist is extremely suspicious with my reaction to the medication, especially since with all of "his years working" he hasn't seen one react so QUICKLY to an SSRI negatively.

When I informed him of the electrical sensations/surges, head jolts and vibrations, as well as tremors and odd head feelings (feeling as though I was about to go into convulsions or my brain would split in two) I would get immediately upon beginning the med., he became suspicious something else could be underlying my panic disorder and attacks, aside from my Mitral Valve Prolapse which I am already aware of.

When I read about Adrenal Fatigue and also how many sufferers sometimes are more sensitive to some meds. as a result, as well as many of the other symptoms that seemed to be explained, I was just wondering if it could be a possibility??

I mean, maybe I am just an oddball and I just have an adverse reaction to serotonin. Or maybe it was too much for my body to handle, so my body reacted physiologically/psychologically with all of the physical problems I had to endure.

I really just don't know, and am throwing things (as Adrenal Fatigue) out there to explain my other symptoms aside from the anxiety and panic as well as my reaction to the SSRI's. It was a first for my Psychiatrist, that was for sure.

I think even HE is at a loss, and he specializes in people suffering from Panic Disorder and GAD. I am taking Lorazepam 2 MG 3X daily (6 MG total), and that is about all I can take esp. with my reaction to the SSRI's.

I still want to find the root of all of this, though. As is it merely Panic Attacks/GAD/Panic Disorder, or is there some underlying problem that the SSRIs are bringing out??? Or was it just too much for my body to handle, and maybe in fact my body is supplying enough serotonin on its own??

Any more thoughts/ideas would be greatly appreciated!!!

~Crystal

by RCA7591, May 24, 2007 12:00AM
"I think even HE is at a loss, and he specializes in people suffering from Panic Disorder and GAD. I am taking Lorazepam 2 MG 3X daily (6 MG total), and that is about all I can take esp. with my reaction to the SSRI's.

I still want to find the root of all of this, though. As is it merely Panic Attacks/GAD/Panic Disorder, or is there some underlying problem that the SSRIs are bringing out??? Or was it just too much for my body to handle, and maybe in fact my body is supplying enough serotonin on its own??"

-end quote-

Hi Crystal,

Ativan (Lorazepam) 2 mg TID is a fairly large dose, large enough to seriously sedate some folks. If that dose has little impact on your symptomology, I too would be looking for an underlying disorder.

The only way to know if your body is producing the correct amount of Serotonin is to measure it. If SSRI's have such a profound effect on you, that in itself would be a contraindication to the future use of any SSRI. Furthermore, it may suggest a malfunction in the autonomic nervous system, known as "Dysautonomia". SSRI's are "stimulating", the opposite of what you want.

Dysautonomia could indeed explain some or all of your symptoms. You may want to mention this to the Psychiatrist.

A trial dose of Klonopin 1 mg BID and Inderal 10-20 mg BID (must be individualized) may prove to be of some value. Inderal is a non-selective beta-blocker, and blocks the effects of Catecholamines (Adrenaline). Klonopin and Inderal are the standard treatments for Dysautonomia. While they help to provide some *balance* to the autonomic nervous system, they are not cures (there is no cure currently).

As far as adrenal