Adrenaline Rush

[jill28]

Hi everyone-

I am new here and just looking for answers. I woke up about 3 weeks ago with a rush of coolness starting in my chest and then rushing through my body. The anxiety then came along with a spike blood pressure and heart rate. This has now been going on constantly since then and even at night time. it keeps me from going to sleep. as soon as I have the feeling of falling asleep, it startles me awake and then I feel anxious. needless to say, I am getting very little sleep. Been to neurologist and GP and the only thing that is slightly helping is cyproheptadine. anyone experiencing this or have advise?? help.........im losing my mind.

[Delta]

Hi, Jill,

Ugh; sorry you are dealing with this.  I have had similar happen to me a few times.  Not on any meds at the time.  From what I recall, it occurred early in the morning when I was laying flat or mostly flat on the bed.  I would start to nod back off and then feel this rush in my head, as if it was intending to keep me from falling back asleep, which it did.  I also recall laying flat in the bed early one morning and feeling what I am guessing was some type of adrenaline surge moving slowly up from my stomach area all the way up into my head.  Both sides of my stomach, mind you (adrenaline from each adrenal gland?).  I laid there and literally felt whatever it was slowly move upwards.  After that I was jittery all morning.  I did make a connection of these episodes happening when I was lying pretty flat, and I haven't had any - knock wood!! - since I elevated my sleeping position, so what I would suggest is to try to elevate yours, maybe kind of prop yourself up on an extra pillow or two, if you haven't already, and see if it helps.  Good luck and I hope these symptoms resolve soon!!

[dizzytizzy]

@jill28: So sorry you are experiencing this. I don't necessarily feel the surge, but I do wake up out of a dead sleep with tachycardia in the 150s/160s. Extremely shaky and tired afterward often with diarrhea too. EP thinks these are adrenaline surges.

For me, they always happen within one hour of falling asleep or between 4-6am. I've experienced them both when lying flat and when elevated, either on pillows, sleeping in a recliner, or with the head of my bed elevated. 

[jill28]

Thank you all so much for responding. These flushes of coolness that I get (up to 50 times a day) are followed by a great deal of anxiety as well. They start out as a thump felt in my heart, a rush of coolnesss in my chest and then to my arms and then major anxiety. After about 2 min, everything passes and I feel back to normal. I have days where nothing happens and I think it’s all passed, but by the next day, it all returns. Night is awful. As soon as I feel like I’m drifting off to sleep, I’m startled awake with the same old symptoms. Makes sleeping impossible. I have a stressful life and a stressful job. Does any of this sound like adrenal fatigue to you all? Been to ER twice, neurologist, and hormone doctor. Going to endocrinologist next week. I cry all the time as I am clueless on what to do. Doctors aren’t sure either. All blood tests come back with everything in normal range.

im so scared and worried...

[clicky77]

Hi Jill, I think this describes what I have been experiencing recently, I have been symptomatic for 6 weeks now and it all started from being in an upright posture for prolonged time. The following day woke with tachycardia, chest pain but then this funny feeling throughout my body with tingling as well it was so scary I thought something terrible was going to happen, I was in a nursing home at the time so they did my obs hr was high but bp fine and O2 but it lasts for a while then disappears, so odd. I tried meditation, distraction etc which made no difference. I have had it several times and it makes you anxious. I am meant to be seeing my Neurologist soon so I am going to ask him as it doesn't make sense. I expect it is to do with fight/flight reaction as body senses danger but I hate it. 

[jill28]

clicky77- will you please let us know what your neurologist says. mine is trying to help but still doesn't know what to do. I go for an MRI this week but really don't expect to see anything. I think this is neuron related. :-(

do you by chance have a feeling of cool rushes all day long and then anxiety? do you have trouble sleeping?

[Jessica_]

I had this too! When my Pots first started I used to get this “surge” within 1-3 hours after falling asleep at night. My body would feel tingly and then my heart would just go rapid. Then I would get the shakes when it was all over. It does cause extreme anxiety and doom and my thought is that it’s from the epinephrine. Luckily my attacks started slowing down and I haven’t had one for almost 4 months *knock on wood*. 

My advice is to talk to your doctor about a beta blocker or clonazepam. Clonazepam has been a game changer for me with this illness. I know we don’t have true anxiety but I think our bodies are in a constant fight or flight mode and clonazepam just calms my body right down. 

Hang in there! I hope this gets better for you!  You are not alone! 

[dizzytizzy]

I wanted to add too that I've read many people are helped greatly by clonazepam. It didn't quite help me as much, so my EP has me trialing propranolol now to see if that stops these nighttime adrenaline surges.

Forgot to say that I did have some daytime issues that may be similar to what you described. I mostly had them happen while driving - I would get a head rush/dizzy feeling and then my body from the waist down tingled. It wasn't quite the cool feeling that you mentioned, but I'm wondering if we're describing the same thing. Almost reminded me of the butterflies in the stomach kind of feeling. Like nervous x 1000. 

My EP said the daytime episodes sounded like transient drops in BP, so we upped my midodrine, water/salt, and added in compression stockings.