Epinephrine

Epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, is both a neurotransmitter and a hormone. It plays an important role in your body’s `fight-or-flight` response. It’s also used as a medication to treat many life-threatening conditions.

What is Epinephrine? #

• Epinephrine, also called adrenaline, is both a hormone and a neurotransmitter.

• As a hormone, it’s made and released by your adrenal glands, which are hat-shaped glands that sit on top of each kidney.

• As a central nervous system neurotransmitter, it’s a chemical messenger that helps transmit nerve signals across nerve endings to another nerve cell, muscle cell or gland cell.

• Epinephrine is part of your sympathetic nervous system, which is part of your body’s emergency response system to danger, the fight-or-flight response.

• Medically, the flight-or-flight response is known as the acute stress response.

What does epinephrine do in the body? #

• As a neurotransmitter, epinephrine plays a small role.

• Only a small amount is produced in your nerves.

• It plays a role in metabolism, attention, focus, panic and excitement.

• Abnormal levels are linked to sleep disorders, anxiety, hypertension and lowered immunity.

• Epinephrine’s major action is in its role as a hormone.

• Epinephrine is released by your adrenal glands in response to stress.

• This reaction causes a number of changes in your body and is known as the fight-or-flight response.

How is epinephrine used as a medication? #

When used as a medication, synthetic epinephrine is used to treat:

• Cardiac arrest/cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): Epinephrine stimulates your heart.

• Eye surgery: Epinephrine helps keep your pupils dilated.

• Septic shock: Epinephrine increases your blood pressure.

• Asthma: Epinephrine opens airways and decreases airway spasms.

• Anaphylaxis: Epinephrine relaxes airway muscles. It’s the first-response treatment for this severe, life-threatening allergic reaction.

What are the side effects of epinephrine as a medication? #

Side effects of epinephrine as an aerosol or injection that require medical attention include:

• Allergic reactions like skin rash, itching or hives, swelling of your face, lips or tongue.
• Breathing problems.
• Chest pain.
• Fast heartbeat.
• Vomiting.
• High blood pressure.
• Nervousness.
• Palpitations.
• Seizures.

• Tremor.
• Trouble passing urine or change in the amount of urine.
• Trouble sleeping.

What health conditions result from low levels of epinephrine? #

Health conditions that result from low levels of epinephrine include:

• Anxiety.

• Depression.

• Headaches.

• Sleeping problems.

• Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).

• Changes in blood pressure, heart rate.

What health conditions result from high levels of epinephrine? #

Health conditions that result from high levels of epinephrine include:

• High blood pressure (hypertension).

• Rapid or irregular heartbeat.

• Excessive sweating.

• Cold or pale skin.

• Severe headaches.

• Nervous feeling, jitters.

• Epinephrine overdose, which can lead to high blood pressure, stroke and death.

• Pheochromocytoma, which is an adrenal gland tumor.