Severe Adrenaline Spikes every morning - please help

Lasting from morning till bedtime when I take a remeron. I have a helpful and caring doctor. There must be something that can quickly break the cycle so we can learn to live again. At 85 this is no way to celebrate aging. I will begin looking for an endocrinologist NOW !

This is a long thread already but I'll try adding a little. I've experienced a bit of this, probably a cortisol morning rush thing, wake up too early, can't go back to sleep, negative thoughts and some kind of unfocused panic.

I found there's a simple behavioral response - take the hint! Get out of bed even if it's still 5AM, go to the bathroom, walk around a bit, watch some awful 5AM tv, fall back asleep on the couch, or after 30 minutes or so, turn it off again and go back to bed for another hour, whatever your schedule allows. Seems to work.

Also avoid any late night snacks, try a little magnesium before bed.
(I was going to say some warm milk but that kind of cancels the no snack rule!)
There seems to be an increasing trend for people to have smaller dinner or even no dinner to help with general metabolism, too. Something else to try.

Actually saw a YouTube video just the other day that in the Middle Ages and earlier, back to Roman times, long before electricity, the standard sleeping cycle for most people was First Sleep and Second Sleep. The first one started soon after sundown, last about four hours, and then people would wake up for an hour, maybe stir the fire, check around the house, then after an hour or so go to bed again until dawn. It was the first sleep that was supposed to be most restful. FWIW

Make an account to say the SAME thing. This has to be connected to post Covid dysautonomia that we all have. The last time I had this was closer to a Covid infection, and now it cropped up about 8 weeks after my latest one. I found relief with hydroxyzine 10mg at bedtime, steroids, IVIG, and focus on radical stress reduction (I had a huge amount).

@athenasfury and no it’s not an adrenal tumor or phro, it’s either the HPA axis coming back online with overbursts of cortisol perhaps or the opposite, it’s kicking the bucket and sputtering out.

@hopscotch I know this is an old post, but I am experiencing the exact same thing and wanted to see if you ever found out what was causing your spikes and how you are feeling now. I’m having to increase my beta blocker dose to deal with this. I do have POTS, but this is worse than it’s ever been. I am thinking it’s perimenopause in my case, and I’m hoping the progesterone cream I just got will start to help soon.

Hello I don't know how long it's been happening. I've definitely overlooked it and just tried box breathing. It helps keep me going but it still happens. I haven't been to the doctor for it because of lack of insurance. But weed seems to help.

@thisucks
Hello I am the same and it's been going on for several years can't do a thing.
Do you work? I can't work and sometimes can't even get up out of bed. Exhausted all the time and not able to drive or do things I once did.
What is your day like? Do you work? I live alone and it's just awful so alone with it all day and used to be able to do anything and go anywhere now I just have to lay down to get relief. Had dozens of blood tests and saw endocrinology and they collected the urine sample and said it's fine and then didn't investigate any further , it cost lots of money as I paid privately for many things. Being in UK have got NHS but wait time is often a year or two depending on what it is so I've paid out thousands already. It's affecting my heart too and so I'm scared I will have heart attack soon. Heart rate is high all the time. Please share with me your daytime routine and if you work or live alone etc. Julie in UK xx

@hopscotch
Hi. It's now 2026 - three years after you posted. I hope you're feeling better. I'm writing because I'm having similar issues, though not as many spikes. Have you gotten to the bottom of this? If so, please share. In the meantime, here's my story, below. Please comment if you have any questions or you can provide any suggestions. Thank you so much!!

I have adrenaline or cortisol attacks every three hours during each and every day, and a couple times during the middle of the night before I wake. I've been dealing with this for 2 1/2 years, and not a single doctor (including several endocrinologists) can tell me what's going on. Does anyone else have this, or know what causes it?

When the attacks first started happening, I'd get frantic, almost like a panic attack - breathing fast, adrenaline surging, anxious, impatient, desperate, etc. Now, knowing the signs when they're coming on, I simply eat a plate full of protein, vegetables and complex carbs and that stops the symptoms fin their tracks, until precisely three hours later, when they come again. Occasionally, get brain fog if the symptoms arrive before I eat, and I can't think straight which is scary. I put my feet higher than my head and rest until I'm better. It's affected my quality of life, needless to say, and I need to have food with me at all times when the symptoms come.

Unfortunately, one endocrinologist insists these are panic attacks and wants me to see a shrink for some CBT. I've got a pituitary adenoma (and have had a few high cortisol tests, which the Dr. says is normal with stress, HRT, etc.). I don't have diabetes, though my a1c is creeping up as all this eating is causing me to gain weight. I've gained 30 lbs over this time.

I'm aware the "food" is the only way ""I"" know of to stop these attacks from causing who-know-what from happening. I don't know what else to do. Feels like I'm gonna die if I don't stop the feelings / attack.

Does anyone have issues like this, or know what this might be?

Thanks so much for your thoughts!

@ready4vacation , I had similar episodes. I have type 1 diabetes. I got talk therapy and it helped tremendously. I was in therapy for about a year. I no longer have the episodes.

Thanks, Celia 16. So glad you received help and are doing better!!

Do you believe the episodes were related to hypoglycemia?

If you don't mind me asking, did your therapy focus on tools to help with nervous system regulation (like the vagus nerve / parasympathetic nervous system), or mostly talking things through?

Thank you for sharing!