Increased Anxiety and Hypervigilance Causing Adrenal Insufficiency?

[Seasounds]

This is one of those “I hope I discover that I’m not alone” posts.

After I very stressful September through December, each month involved either a PTSD retraumatization and/or a physical trauma-which also associated to childhood traumas (a robbery at a bus stop, an assault, one fall-a concussion caused by falling straight forward onto the cement, and then a second fall which involved falling backwards from a restaurant placing my table and chair to close to the edge of a platform, so when I scooted my chair backwards in order to stand up-I fell backward in the chair off the ledge incurring another concussion. Basically, 4 months of physical and emotional trauma, 4 months of increased anxiety and hypervifikence.

Then comes January. A cold turned into the flu, that progressed to bronchitis, which, due to irritation of the respiratory tract, which led to an asthma flare, which led to adrenal insufficiency diagnosis when I was unable to successfully come of the steroids that were used to treat the asthma flare.

Has anyone with prolonged anxiety and hypervifilence like I have had since September, been diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency?
What helped you get better?

 

[Fadeaway]

I think it is very possible and sorry you are going through that. Multiple concussions? how awful.

Ashgwanda root is supposed to help. I have never been able to get an endocrinologist to be willing to test me. I have however been researching symptoms and the positive feedback loop has to be broken somehow because hypervege and andreanal issues feed each other. Wish I could be more help.

 

[EveHarrington]

What are the symptoms of adrenal insufficiency?

I have a feeling that some of us may have experienced it but never got a formal diagnosis. (Possibly me?)

 

[Friday]

My health went badly south following several years of uppity stress & new trauma on top of old... including several months of being on supplemental o2 and oral steroids following a bit of a perky flu // overall recovery period given to me was 6-24 months... but no, adrenal insufficiency wasn’t determined to be part of that.

 

[Seasounds]

I think it is very possible and sorry you are going through that. Multiple concussions? how awful.

Ashgwanda root is supposed to help. I have never been able to get an endocrinologist to be willing to test me. I have however been researching symptoms and the positive feedback loop has to be broken somehow because hypervege and andreanal issues feed each other. Wish I could be more help.

What are the symptoms of adrenal insufficiency?

I have a feeling that some of us may have experienced it but never got a formal diagnosis. (Possibly me?)

You’ve been a big help, actually. In reading your reply I remembered how yoga and mediation have helped break the cycle for me. I can do yoga and mediation at home, as restorative activities. Thanks for your support!

I remembered Ashwaganda, too. Don’t use it because it interferes with my anti-depressant med. Hisever, I’ve found nutritional supplements and diet suggestions for adrenal function. Also, i’ll look up Chinese Medicibe acupressure points.

Good support, got me thinking.

Adrenal insufficiency occurs at different levels, just like a cold does. The subtle and gross signs can be fatigue, depression, shortness of breath, weight gain or loss. The symptoms overlap many other conditions. Usually alternative medical people can do muscle testing for adrenal insufficiency. Traditional medicine can catch the gross levels of adrenal insufficiency through scans, blood tests, etc.
It was insightful for me to read about; with trauma, many people’s resilience is decreased because they’ve been under stress for so long. The adrenal glands supply cortisol which serves as an anti-inflammatory, a source of sugar-if we’ve forgotten to eat, and it gives feedback to our brain to regulate thyroid stimulating hormone.

My health went badly south following several years of uppity stress & new trauma on top of old... including several months of being on supplemental o2 and oral steroids following a bit of a perky flu // overall recovery period given to me was 6-24 months... but no, adrenal insufficiency wasn’t determined to be part of that.

I’m sorry to hear of your past flu where the recovery was so long. It helps to know that someone else had an unusual flu and a long recovery. The circumstances are rare enough that it’s not common knowledge. Your reply has helped me be geared up and hopeful for a long recovery.

 

[No_milk_today]

I'm not a medical expert, but in my personal experience what helps is:
- Cutting sugars out of your diet (all sugars, essentially you start doing the low-glycemic diet that's intended for diabetes patients). This helps to calm your insuline response, which starts overacting when you have adrenal fatigue. Basically you get a huge amount of insuline in your body, for a very small amount of sugar. This in turn messes up your adrenal glands, and they then in turn mess up your insuline response again. You follow the diet as a bit of a 'reset button' essentially.
2. Taking a zinc supplement if insufficient zinc is found to be part of the problem. It was in my case and it activates the cycle described above.
3. Rhodiola Rosea supplements (I'm not sure if they interact with anti-depressants, you should defenitely check before taking them. It's a herb, and it's known as an adaptogen. It subdues your cortisol levels, which are most likely continuously high due to high amounts of stress and anxiety. Read more here in an article which in turn links to science based articles on what it does and what it's good for.

There's a ton of other things you can try when it comes to adrenal fatigue, but in my personal experience the sugar diet combined with the two supplements did wonders. It does take time though; these are processes that aren't fixed in a day. For me, a good indicator was that I had gotten acne from the adrenal fatigue and this cleared up completely about three months in the diet.

 

[littleoc]

Hello! First bit is for anyone, just to make sure everyone is safe! :)

Adrenal insufficiency can be fatal and requires medical intervention as soon as possible. If anyone here is suspicious that you have it, go to a doctor. (Don’t panic, though, you’ll be okay with treatment!) You may need a hormone therapy.

If you do not see a doctor, you may go into shock if the condition worsens. The adrenal glands produce hormones that every organ in your body needs to function. Supplements can be used if a doctor has already given you the okay or prescribed them. Depending on the type you have, you may or may not need certain supplements or other treatments. (I’m sort of unclear on every aspect of that — I’m not a medical expert either. See a doctor.)

I worry about people, apologies! Make sure that if your symptoms suddenly worsen that you go to the emergency room. Or if you just think you might have it, visit a doctor. :)

If you crave salt, bring some to the doctor. (speaking for my uncle.)

</tangent>

___________

To answer OP’s question:

It is a rare disease, so most of us probably don’t have it. Statistically, most people do end up with a rare disease — but not all the same ones. PTSD is actually very common compared to adrenaline insufficiency, so I would guess that there isn’t a link, but I don’t know.

I have read that PTSD does have a link with causing people genetically prone to certain diseases to be more likely to develop them. I’m not sure which diseases those would be, but for a possible example, if your adrenaline insufficiency was one of the types caused by an immune response, it’s not impossible that your immune disorder was triggered by extreme stress in your life. Just as one possible situation.

If you had trauma to your kidneys and your adrenal glands were damaged, that’s another manner where it might not be directly related to PTSD or a TBI, but may be related to the traumatic event itself.

If your pituitary gland was damaged and isn’t communicating to your adrenal glands, then that is most likely related to a brain injury. PTSD seems unlikely to cause that directly, from what I understand. There are definitely people with TBIs or brain disorders who have had this happen. Other diseases causing it might be more common. I’m not really sure.

All in all, though, you aren’t completely alone no matter what happened. But the diseases of PTSD and adrenaline insufficiency may not be related enough — even if did happen for you — for many of us to have it. But probably there is at least one other person on Earth who has had this happen to them. They just probably aren’t related diseases, or not exactly in a direct way.

The increased anxiety and hypervigilance most likely did not play a direct role, though.

I’m sorry so much is going on in your life and I’m sorry you were diagnosed with this, @No_milk_today. You’ve got a lot of support here, and we’re listening, no matter what happened.

 

[No_milk_today]

Thanks, @littleoc. Mine was actually not only induced by anxiety, but also by my vegan diet (hence the zinc shortage). The anxiety attacks became a part of the cycle, increasing in intensity, which eventually prompted me to investigate further. I actually walked around with it for quite a while before getting to the bottom of it, but luckily no shock!

 

[littleoc]

I’m glad that you had it checked out!

 

[MamaHopeful]

Thank you for sharing this.

There are two very different things being spoken about on this thread, if I'm correct.

One is an actual evidence-based, medical diagnosis, and the other is not.

Adrenal insufficiency that is diagnosed by a doctor is not the same as what some people call adrenal fatigue. I just wanted to make that distinction.

I hope you are doing well and am SO grateful your doctor got it in time!!!