Adrenal rushes

Posted by aviswalton123 @aviswalton123, Nov 29, 2023

I am having adrenal rushes at nite every 2 hrs while trying to sleep for the past 3 years
I have tried several recommendations but none has worked .
Desperate for help

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More information would help? What do you understand about the syndrome. What have you been recommended to try, and of those, which have you attempted?
From what I understand, it is essentially an emotional disorder or condition because it commences solely in the brain, in one's conscious thoughts, but also in dreams. It is essentially the 'fight-or-flight' response, but that only takes place under duress. Apart from calming, there is also the problem of a room too warm for comfortable sleep. Breathing problems, such as sinusitis, rhinitis, polyps, or either central or obstructive sleep apnea, or the dreaded 'complex apnea' where both types are present, or positional apnea where the chin is tilted forwarded by the pillow when sleeping supine (on one's back). The head forced toward the chest can pinch the neck passages.
Does any of this ring true, possibly so......any help at all?

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Thanks for your reply..
I have been recommended to try antidepressants but i tried escitslopram but had hallucinations and trazadone which I find keeps me awake for along time and I still have the rushes.
I have been taking Ativan for years but they help a little.
I have tried alternative medicine such as melatonin ..gaba..magnesium .. ashwaganda ..cbd ..
I also have been diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea..
I use the cpac machine and still have the rushes…
I do have terrible dreams every nite and some I would say are nightmares..on a few occasions I can’t breath or try to talk but can’t.
This is just a few things I can think of for now ..
It has been going on for 4 yrs..
Hopefully you can help me ..

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Forgot to mention
I have hives most of the time and take antihistamines
Thanks again

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You do have a lot going on...so sorry that you are experiencing all this chaos and uncertainty. Is your apnea under control? If your monthly stats show an AHI greater than about 3....tops....regardless of what the industry and insurance folks claim is 'treated' (AHI less than 5.0), you may be highly averse to the arousals that take place. Also, if you have software to look, what type of obstructions, or is it sometimes centrals? Equally important, how long do they last...on average? Maybe your machine is set up properly, but you have 'positional' apnea where your chin tucks toward your chest, such as during supine sleeping. Or your pillow is a bit stiff, or too high, both. But the point is, arousals are the killers of proper sleep. If you're being aroused three or more times each hour, your body will enter fight-or-flight mode and it will be manifested with adrenalin rushes.
The nightmares are indicative of some kind or unresolved problems often, but not necessarily so. Have you thought about a sleep therapist?
I can't suggest anything about hives, but they are an immune response. Something doesn't agree with you, be it a herbicide residue, citrus, milk proteins or sugars, .....something. And, when the body is under duress, it causes all the problems associated with chronically elevated levels of cortisol.
I wonder if you might be further ahead to focus entirely on one issue for the time being, nail it, and see if that doesn't begin to calm things for you. They may not be interrelated so much as interdependent.

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Hi
My sleep apnea is certainly not under control.My ahi is mostly above 5.. I don’t always wear it as it dosent stop my rushes
I have mentioned to the person I bought the machine from about my rushes and was told it had nothing to do with my sleep apnea ..

I don’t know how to find all this info about monthly stats..
I am getting to the point I don’t know where to go for help..
My dr is of no help ..
I asked to be referred to a heart specialist but she said they are not taking any patients..
I find these rushes are causing chest pains and high heart rate
The pain go through my whole body
Ears start ringing and more…
I can’t function
I can’t get up in am
I feel this is going to do me in..
Thanks

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If you don't wear the apparatus, you get no therapy...period. A CPAP machine is designed to help you to splint your airway while you have lost tone and are unconscious, sleeping. It is NOT designed to ameliorate other problems. However, it could help to stave off the evolution to more dangerous states if it delivers the proper therapy to you reliably, night-after-night. For example, I have atrial fibrillation. No diagnostics suggested I ought to have AF until the last one my cardiologist recommended to me, which was the polysomnography over night. Once it was established that I had severe apnea, my cardiologist said, and I quote, "Well, I guess we know why you developed atrial fibrillation.' My heart was cranky, and irritated, because it was always dealing with adrenalin and the higher, non-restful, rate due to its inherent programming to run faster when I ran low on oxygen. It could never rest!!

BTW, you need a better doctor. Anyone who blows off someone in your condition with, 'The only one I know isn't taking any patients.......sssssssooooooooooo.......' is as useless as female chest appendages on a bull.

Also, do you really need a referral? Could you not call a local electrophysiologist and ask that person to see you...urgently? He/she will want tests, which will mean a delay, but at least you'll have that much going on toward an eventual bit of...you know...HELP!

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@gloaming

If you don't wear the apparatus, you get no therapy...period. A CPAP machine is designed to help you to splint your airway while you have lost tone and are unconscious, sleeping. It is NOT designed to ameliorate other problems. However, it could help to stave off the evolution to more dangerous states if it delivers the proper therapy to you reliably, night-after-night. For example, I have atrial fibrillation. No diagnostics suggested I ought to have AF until the last one my cardiologist recommended to me, which was the polysomnography over night. Once it was established that I had severe apnea, my cardiologist said, and I quote, "Well, I guess we know why you developed atrial fibrillation.' My heart was cranky, and irritated, because it was always dealing with adrenalin and the higher, non-restful, rate due to its inherent programming to run faster when I ran low on oxygen. It could never rest!!

BTW, you need a better doctor. Anyone who blows off someone in your condition with, 'The only one I know isn't taking any patients.......sssssssooooooooooo.......' is as useless as female chest appendages on a bull.

Also, do you really need a referral? Could you not call a local electrophysiologist and ask that person to see you...urgently? He/she will want tests, which will mean a delay, but at least you'll have that much going on toward an eventual bit of...you know...HELP!

Jump to this post

Hi
The reason I didn’t wear my machine is because it didn’t stop my adrenal rushes and was wondering if they were panic attacks..however I will take your advice and start again..thanks
My sleeping heart rate is between 70-73
My resting heart rate is around the same
I wear a Fitbit at nite..
I did try calling heart specialist on my own but was told I need a referral..2btw
Also I didn’t mention I also have SAPHO syndrome I didn’t want to overwhelm you with my problems Have you heard of it?
It’s horrible disease but I seem to have coped with this better than the adrenaline rushes..they are slowly killing me ..
But back to SAPHO I asked my dr for a referral to a rheumatologist to help me cope with and she said the same thing..
I feel I I am on my own dealing with my health..

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We don’t have any drs her and told I was lucky to have one.. I was also diagnosed with atrial tachycardia..
I have not been taking any medication as the beta blockers gave too many side effects??
I am a disaster waiting to happen.

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I guess you might need an advocate of some kind, a social worker maybe...? Or, just present at the local ER, hopefully a teaching/university hospital, when you're experiencing the worst of it. You might be referred that way. The internists and cardiologists at an ER will have contacts and they'll at least consult with an EP.

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You mentioned if I might have sinusitis
When I had a ct scan of my head they mentioned there was fluid right sphenoid sinus and mastoid air cells
Which could represent sinusitis..
Would this be of any concern?
Was never treated for it 09/10/20.
Say that because you mentioned in you first reply..
That was my first trip to ER about my adrenal rushes…

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