How to Cope with Overload of Adrenalin?

[Basilico]

I think I need to also switch to smaller meals - my pattern has tended to be nothing until lunchtime then lunch - a snack a few hours later - then tea is sometimes not until 4 hours after that so I'm probably leaving far too big a gap in between meals in general. I seem to need some sort of 'treat' to eat after tea but was sure the chocolate or crisps it tended to be was making everything worse so was running out of idea but I'll try and stick to yoghurt or even these low-fat desserts instead. And I'll definitely be trying the apple cider vinegar.

That's exactly how my husband used to eat, too - he'd let way too much time go by without eating. If possible, try to eat something every 3 hours. You mentioned 'low fat desserts' - I'm not sure if that was a typo, but low-fat desserts are usually high in sugar/carb. Did you mean "low-carb" desserts?

And I'm delighted to report nothing developed at the JobCentre this morning! I met my brother and his wife a couple of hours afterwards in a very busy cafe and decided to have lunch as it was nearly 12. It was a while coming and I realised it had been some time since my paltry breakfast banana so I did feel a bit panicky then but once I got the sausage and beans down me all was well!

This is great news! If you are feeling anxious in the future about having an attack, try to keep focusing on how it's very possible that nothing will happen. Just keep replaying how well today went.

Thanks so much for your help with this - it's great to have several things to try but at least I can start eating better straight away

My pleasure - I hope that this helps.

 

[Valentijn]

I take magnesium oil on the bottoms of my feet and ride it out

The skin on the bottom of the feet and the palms of the hands have an extra layer which makes the skin there quite a bit thicker. Magnesium would probably be absorbed more efficiently pretty much anywhere else, if it can be absorbed via the skin.

 

[MargUK]

That's exactly how my husband used to eat, too - he'd let way too much time go by without eating. If possible, try to eat something every 3 hours. You mentioned 'low fat desserts' - I'm not sure if that was a typo, but low-fat desserts are usually high in sugar/carb. Did you mean "low-carb" desserts?

It wasn't no so thank you for pointing that out! I actually really enjoy yoghurts so I'll stick to those instead. And I'll definitely try the 3-hour rule from now on and see how that goes - I'm very encouraged by yesterday When I was checking out the Mutaflor it said it was good for chronic constipation - that's another of my problems - since becoming ill my bowels have virtually stopped altogether presumably connected to the lack of activity but also diet so if it helps with that as well I'll be delighted! I'm hopefully going to get an appointment with a Dietician soon so will get some advice as to how to help that along.

This is great news! If you are feeling anxious in the future about having an attack, try to keep focusing on how it's very possible that nothing will happen. Just keep replaying how well today went.

I think this is half the battle - convincing my brain nothing terrible is going to happen. Hopefully even though this Thursday it will no doubt automatically go back to last Thursday which was distinctly unnerving, I'll try to override that image with yesterday and see which one wins!

I have the hairdresser this morning - an extra appointment made because one of these attacks came on on my way there a couple of weeks ago and I had to turn back home because I was just too scared to carry on. So hopefully today if anything happens I can just keep going and ride it out - the state of my hair will make me do that if nothing else!!

 

[MargUK]

Can it be anxiety?????

Part of it would have been anxiety but the confusing thing was these were exactly the same situations I'd been in a couple of months prior and they hadn't caused anxiety then so I wasn't sure where the anxiety was coming from. Also the JobCentre - although dismal to deal with - doesn't cause me actual anxiety - and neither does the hairdresser - yet going to both caused an attack to come on. It felt like something physical was happening and then was made worse by going into a situation where there was no easy escape if that makes sense.

 

[MargUK]

I get my worse ones waking up out of a dead sleep at night where my blood pressure would spike high but my heartrate stayed quite low but I attribute it to passing the threshold of what are bodies can take on exertion I push the envelope and beyond alot only to pay dearly but pacing my life always has been very hard for me and long ago I developed a benzoyl addiction and was a nightmare to get off I know a benzoyl like xanax would help in this situation immediately but I don't want to be more tired the next day I'm tired enough!!!!! So I do everything natural now through food and supplementation only but to be honest in those episodes I think benzo are the only thing that would give you a little relief

I used to get that at the start of the illness - I'd get wakened up at 5 a.m. every morning with the most acute anxiety and nausea and at that awful time if I could have managed a banana for the whole day I thought I was doing really well!! I also had a codeine addiction developed years ago and am using detox medicine to deal with that which I'm now trying to come off so I also didn't want a benzo addiction on top of everything else even though - maddeningly - Diazepam was the only thing which helped the anxiety attacks. I was just so pleased that I was able to take one sporadically when I'd been dealing with an attack for days and my body could stand no more. It was actually even comforting just to have them in the drawer - knowing there was something there for relief was a help in itself. Doctors don't understand stuff like that though

 

[Basilico]

@MargUK , it's been 2 weeks since you last posted on this thread. How have you been doing? Have you still been having adrenaline issues? Have you made any changes to diet (or anything else)?

 

[MargUK]

@MargUK , it's been 2 weeks since you last posted on this thread. How have you been doing? Have you still been having adrenaline issues? Have you made any changes to diet (or anything else)?

Hi @Basilico - I'm sorry I've been quiet - I've been having a hard time just trying to keep up with everything - it's really difficult when you live on your own and I feel a bit of a desperate sense of confusion when thinking about the illness - I just don't know what to research or try because there seems to be so much!

I was actually doing much better and getting to the point where I thought I'm okay living like this - I could get used to it ('this' being around 50% activity) - the key thing seemed to be reasonable mood - as long as I felt fairly good about myself then I could cope with the fact life was vastly reduced. Then last weekend something changed. I have no idea what. I hadn't done any extra activity - I hadn't over-exerted myself in any way as far as I knew anyway - and it was almost like I'd got a bug of some kind. I was terribly sleepy and my appetite plummeted which made the regular eating difficult but I sort of managed to a degree.

The worst thing though was the anxiety. It was going through the roof but for no reason and it seemed like my body just couldn't cope with the slightest bit of stress at all. It was really distressing and I couldn't even get to the doctor on Wednesday to see if I could get more Diazepam (one doctor has already refused so the visit was quite stressful because the ones I have from 2 years ago are running out.) It's my absolute last resort but I'm terrified to waste any and about half an hour before the appointment I took 4 mgs. That should have been enough to calm things down but it didn't work! I got as far as the car park and paced around it for a while but just couldn't get my heart to stop pounding or that horrible adrenaline to stop coursing through my body. In the end I had to leave and instead forced myself to go to the library because I needed more books and had to pick up 2 reserved for me. Thankfully I was able to stay there for an hour so I have plenty of reading material for bed-days!

I had to cancel absolutely everything that week (I had fairly low-key appointments each day) which had a huge effect on me mentally but on Thursday, deciding to go for a walk to reassure myself I could still get out of the house without falling apart, my daughter texted to see how I was so I told her. She offered to come in with my 2 granddaughters to go for a short walk which we did and it was okay. That helped my mood so much that I went and spent 3 hours in my back garden tackling months of growing weeds which was also depressing me. I knew fine I would probably end up in bed all day Friday but by then I was past caring - I just wanted to do something 'normal' and that garden was really having an effect on me!

And yes yesterday and today I can hardly walk but the tiredness I felt at least had a reason attached to it which makes a huge difference as I'm sure you can relate to I hardly got any sleep last night though - I'm not sure why - and the anxiety is back with a vengeance today. If it stays at the level it's at just now it'll be okay but I'm terrified it's going to get worse - normally on a Saturday I go and see my daughter and the 2 wee ones so I suggested going to see a film at the cinema today so that at least I can sit in one place for a while because playing with them with these sore muscles is a definite no-no. (I could cancel but sometimes being with them has a positive effect on my mood).

I'm sorry this is so long but I appreciate you asking after me. I'm sure this anxiety is diet related but I really have no clue how to make my diet better - what sort of stuff to eat. I'm having natural yoghurt and dried fruit for breakfast now but don't know how much is enough (I have 100 grams) because my weight is slowly creeping up and I'm desperately trying to keep it down without cutting out too much. I find it difficult to buy and prepare decent, nutritious food because I just have no energy to do so.

I hope this hasn't rambled on too much - I need to go have lunch and get myself looking presentable for the cinema. Just hope I get through it. Thank you so much for asking about me and sorry I took so long to reply!

 

[Basilico]

Hi

I hope this hasn't rambled on too much - I need to go have lunch and get myself looking presentable for the cinema. Just hope I get through it. Thank you so much for asking about me and sorry I took so long to reply!

@MargUK , I'm sorry to hear you've been having such a touch time...going through those adrenaline/panic attacks are awful, and I'm sure it's extra awful having to deal with it mostly on your own. It sounds like even with all these curve balls your body is throwing at you, you are fighting it with everything you've got...I'm really impressed with how resilient you are.

I'm really glad you've got your daughter for support and your grandkids to lift your spirits.

I can definitely relate to not mind being sore if it's at least for a good reason! I've been feeling somewhat better lately, and I decided to return to the gym to do some light strength training, which I haven't done in years. When I got back from the gym, I said, "I know I'm going to be feeling really sore for the next week, but at least there will be a good reason for it, so I don't mind." It's amazing how often this topic comes up in my house - when my husband and/or I have a day where we've done a lot (for us) and are really exhausted, we'll often comment that it's good to feel tired for a legitimate reason.

Have you checked out the healthy meals thread lately? There are a bunch of additions, and I'm thinking that my easy 'Mexican Chicken' might be doable for you...do you have a slow cooker? Or maybe your daughter does, and she might be willing to make it for you and portion it into meal-sized containers.

Feel free to ramble as much as you like, I don't mind :)

 

[jimells]

I have hyperadrenergic POTS, so I have many of the hyperadrenergic symptoms reported by @MargUK . My POTS crashes are triggered by overexertion. I have other triggers as well, perhaps including a mast cell activation problem.

I have found that very small doses of an alpha blocker and a beta blocker are helpful in managing symptoms. When I finally started to understand the role of adrenaline/noradrenaline and the various adrenergic receptors in causing my symptoms, I had trazodone (an alpha blocker as well as an alleged anti-depressant) and atenolol (a beta blocker) in the medicine cabinet, so that's what I use.

I use very small doses, much smaller than would be prescribed for the usual uses of these medications, typically 10 - 25 mg per day of trazodone and 5 - 10 mg per day of atenolol. A pill splitter is helpful for taking small doses.

When I leave for a doctors appointment (the only time I leave the house) I take an extra dose of trazodone, and that seems to help me be upright long enough to see the doctor without triggering a crash.

When my hands and feet are cold, clammy, bluish, and my BP is steady rising (excess vasoconstriction), it's time to take more trazodone. When my pulse is too high and/or I have bothersome palpitations, it's time to take a bit more atenolol.

The various adrenergic receptors present a confusing bunch of detail that I still struggle to keep straight in my head. One of the most interesting details is that when alpha receptors are agonized (upregulated) by adrenaline/noradrenaline, blood flow is reduced to the skin, gut, kidneys, and brain.

I suspect reduced blood to the brain might cause the "I feel like I'm dying, even though vital signs say, 'Nope not today'" feeling, as well as general brain fog, although I haven't looked into that. I am pretty sure that the alpha blocker does help with my brain fog.

I think it's pretty easy to get prescriptions for these medications, since doctors want to diagnose everyone in the world with depression and hypertension, so are happy to hand out these pills. The fact that I am not actually depressed (in spite of my flat affect caused by exhaustion) nor have hypertension at home (where I can lay down 22 hours a day) doesn't really matter much, as long as I can get the meds I need.

Please note that messing around with these drugs can cause big problems, like low blood pressure and fainting. I have found that even very small doses have a big effect on me. I can't imagine the sort of reaction I might have to the 150 mg - 400 mg per day usual dose of trazodone for depression.