You mention sleep issues, but do you have lots of pain or intense periods of mental over-focusing? Mood swings? Night sweats? Racing thoughts? Heart palpitations? There are multiple things that can hit sleep. The biggest enemy is usually norepinephrine. Next is high cortisol at night. Then probably glutamate-gaba imbalance. In others it is sugar metabolic issues. Others it is pain. Overmethylation can do it too. There are many ways to end up at a "wired, but tired" state.Even hyperthyroid will keep you up. The list can be very long. I have probably missed about a dozen other somewhat common causes. A lot it comes down to hormones or neurotransmitters. Of course that is true of many things.
Hi Dbkita,
I once worked with a neuroendocrinologist in California, so I "recognize" some of the language you use. I've gone through your posts with interest and would love to hear your thoughts on norepinephrine.
My illness began 5.5 years ago due to a massive thyroid storm, after a doctor gave me thyroid hormones despite being hyperthyroid (don't ask, lol). I accidentally took a whopping amount (equivalent of over 7 grains Armour), and literally overnight I went from being an active young guy to completely incapacitated. It feels like my body is stuck in a state of excess norepinephrine, which eventually wore me down to the point where I'm currently homebound.
You know how when you exercise, you can feel your heart pounding in your chest? I feel that all the time. And not just in my chest, but in my left arm, left leg, and left side of my neck. If I lay down and put a pillow on my chest, it bounces up and down with each beat. I also tend to feel hot even though my body temperature is low. So these signs point to adrenaline, but at the same time, my blood pressure and heart rate are on the low side, which doesn't fit. I also don't have any emotional anxiety or pain, and my plasma catecholamines are not high.
My understanding is that norepinephrine is a back-up system that the body uses as a compensatory mechanism when energy production is hindered. It's like a raging bull that needs to be controlled. Signals that can balance NE include serotonin (SSRI, 5-HTP, tryptophan), dopamine, GABA (benzos, GABA analogues), taurine, glycine, cortisol, T3/T4, DHEA, pregnenolone, progesterone, and testosterone.
I tried hydrocortisone for awhile, which helped somewhat, but I chose to discontinue it because I didn't feel stable on it. I also tried taking an SSRI for a couple months (Lexapro), and there was one day where the heart pounding completely disappeared, but unfortunately the effect didn't last. Beta blockers had a mild benefit, as do benzos. I haven't felt inclined to continue any of these pharmaceuticals long-term because the benefits weren't particularly impressive.
So these experiments indicate that NE might be the culprit, but it's not 100% guaranteed. You seem to be familiar with this area. Do you think adrenaline is the issue? If so, are you aware of any other ways of reducing it? I'm wondering if Lyrica is worth trying, since it's been used for people with familial dysautonomia. Besides adrenaline, can you think of any other signals that might be playing a role? A lot of people talk about glutamate toxicity, but I don't think it's a major issue here.
You seem to be well-versed in this area, and I'd appreciate any input. Thanks!