Epinephrine

Having too much adrenaline can cause:

• high blood pressure
• anxiety
• excessive sweating
• heart palpitations
• headaches

Some medical conditions cause people to have too much epinephrine.

These include:

• pheochromocytoma, a tumor that forms in your adrenal glands
• paranganglioma, a tumor that forms on the outside of your adrenal glands
• obesity

Ongoing stress can also cause high levels of both epinephrine and norepinephrine.

Low levels of epinephrine can contribute to a variety of physical and mental conditions, including:

• anxiety
• depression
• fibromyalgia
• hypoglycemia
• migraine headaches
• restless leg syndrome
• sleep disorders

Chronic stress, poor nutrition, and taking certain medications, such as methylphenidate (Ritalin), can make your less sensitive to epinephrine. These factors can also cause your body to start producing less epinephrine.

Epinephrine, often better known as adrenaline, is synthesized from norepinephrine in both the CNS and the adrenal medulla. Much like norepinephrine, this excitatory neurotransmitter helps regulate muscle contraction, heart rate, glycogen breakdown, blood pressure and more, and is heavily involved in a stress response. Elevated levels of epinephrine are often associated with hyperactivity, ADHD, anxiety, sleep issues, and low adrenal function. Over time, chronic stress and stimulation can deplete epinephrine stores leading to difficulty concentrating, fatigue, depression, insufficient cortisol production, chronic stress, poor recovery from illness, dizziness and more.