If there is no adrenaline gland...?

Question

I was wondering what would happen to our bodies if there is no adrenaline secreted into our bloodstream, i.e. our adrenaline ducts are removed. So will we still feel excitement, anxiety or other effects that adrenaline can cause?

Please answer with details and evidences, and website(s) if there is /are any. Thanks so much!

Answer 1

Interesting question! I learned some things trying to find an answer.

‘Ad’ means ‘next to’, and ‘renal’ means kidney. And so, the ‘adrenal’ glands are small endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys in your lower back. Since they are endocrine glands, they secrete hormones directly into your blood = there are no ‘adrenaline ducts’ that can be removed.

Also, each adrenal is, in fact, two separate glands. The gland is made up of two layers: the adrenal cortex and the adrenal medulla. The medulla is the part that secretes adrenaline, but it is wrapped up in the middle of the cortex. Therefore, it is not easy to remove the medulla specifically, to take out only the part that makes adrenaline, and removing the whole gland would kill you without hormone treatments (see below). Even so, this surgery is done to treat a variety of conditions (i.e. pheochromocytoma), and the patients are able to survive.

So your question is: if you were one of these patients, would you still be able to feel a rush of excitement in a tense situation?

Interestingly, I wasn’t able to find any mention of this in the medical literature. But, I guess the answer is yes.

Perhaps the response wouldn’t be so strong, your heart wouldn’t speed up so fast and the pupils of your eyes wouldn’t get so big, but I think you would still get excited and the typical effects of excitement would still happen. Adrenaline is released in response to stimulation of the adrenal medulla by what is known as the sympathetic nervous system. And I believe that even if the adrenals were gone, the rest of the sympathetic system, and your brain of course, would still be there and still be active when you were threatened or excited.

Sorry this is so long – hope you read it! – but it is actually a complicated question, so I gave a complicated answer – also hope it isn’t too complicated! If you have an opportunity, maybe you can ask an endocrinologist someday and see what she says. I hope she agrees with me ;-)

BTW: adrenal insufficiency (Addison’s disease) is *not* the same as blocking adrenaline or shutting off your adrenal medulla. It is actually a dysfunction of the other part of the adrenal, the cortex. As mentioned by the other answerers, the adrenal cortex does several things: it regulates metabolism (via glucocorticoids), it regulates salt in your body (via mineralocorticoids), and it regulates sexual development (via sex steroids like testosterone and estrogen). People can be born without an adrenal cortex, or can have it removed surgically. It is a rare condition, and it is fatal without taking these hormones every day in pills. The glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids are used by your body in longer term stress situations – like for example, when you get sick. “Corticoid’, incidentally, means ‘derived from the cortex’.

Answer 2

Adrenaline is designed to make sure you survive in situations where humans were being chased by stronger, faster, more naturally dangerous predators. In the civilized world, it's hard to say who has more adrenaline. The one factor you can control is how well you can control your behavior once in an adrenal state. Both your mind, perception, and body will be dramatically different once in an adrenal state. Your time perception will be warped. Your sense of depth perception will change. Even your short term memory will become either really full or really empty. The advance is obvious. If you can control such, then you can become much better at life or death situations.This also includes violent conflict. But just having adrenaline, which is a cocktail of hormones much like a combination of meth, cocaine, crack, and marijuana (along with red bull), isn't going to do you any good by itself. You have to learn to control it. Usually only experience will help you there. P.S. If you feel like you can't control the adrenaline and are suffering a lot of side effects, then I recommend you take some meditations to calm your mind and spin down. You will naturally become more balanced as you grow older, and high adrenaline jitters are usually common in the young. This is not something that you need to go to doctor for.

Answer 3

No Adrenaline

Answer 4

Looks like "Addison's Disease"
(apparently the adrenal glands do more than produce just adrenaline)

Answer 5

For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/avE4F

One symptom of excessive adrenaline is perhaps posting the same question over and over in multiple nonsensical categories... ??? Yes: excessive adrenaline is not healthy. See a qualified endocrinologist. xoxoxoxo

Answer 6

The adrenals produce sex hormones, as well as adrenalin; the "fight or flight' response hormone. Check out Dr. Lam.com
While he does alternative medicine, this site will give you more info about adrenal fatigue and insufficiency.

Answer 7

You will see from the link here below, that adrenalin is only one of the hormones involved in the stress response.
I believe the other responses would sort of compensate the lack of adrenaline, in its abscence
However, I never heard of such a physiological condition (i.e. lack of adrenaline) happening in the human body.

Have a look:
http://www.lesstress.net/stress-effects-on-the-body.htm