Addison's Disease Support Group

Addison's disease (also known as chronic adrenal insufficiency, or hypocortisolism) is a rare endocrine disorder. It is estimated that it affects about 1 to 2 in 100,000 people. It occurs when the adrenal glands, seated above the kidneys, fail to produce enough of the hormone cortisol and, sometimes, the hormone aldosterone

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Alicia777 12/20/2010

At the turn of the century woman were known to have the vapors because there corsets were too tight, today we call if fainting without the corsets.

Yesterday, I fainted on my front lawn! I went outside even though my doctor put me on bed rest. I have never fainted in my life and was rather frightened.

I would also like to add. my stress levels were at a feverish pitch for eight days prior as my daughter was MIA, plus my granddaughter was trying to blackmail me (If you do this, I'll do what you want) on top of the other.

Does passing out from stress have any relationship to Addison's? I have never fainted in my life.

Thanks for your response,
Alicia

deleted_user 12/20/2010

I can tell you I get very dizzy when my AD is tough to manage and I am having symptoms of low cortisol. Sometimes, I have to sit down because it gets so bad. But, I also have other symptoms that go along with it.

Tanya

emma112 12/20/2010

You could be fainting or dizzy as a result of a drop in blood pressure. Low or fluctuating BP can be a common symptom of Addison's. You may need to take pindolol or some other beta-blocker to address the BP fluctuations. I would check with your physician.
That is one of my main problems during severe episodes: staying conscious--definitely a potential problem when I am driving, but the beta-blocker does help.
I hope it gets better soon for you.

angee7 12/21/2010

My blood pressure gets soooo low I faint. I usually feel it coming and sit down real fast, but sometimes it gets me.

It is very scarey, and not at all glamorous like they portray in the old movies. Last time, I went down like a sack of potatoes, and banged-up my knees pretty good. I even hurt my shoulder bad enough that I'm starting physical therapy.

I hope you pass-out better than I do, and you didn't hurt yourself!!

Be sure to tell your Doctor about your latest symptom (fainting).

deleted_user 12/21/2010

I've fainted twice in my life and both were last month due to extremely low blood pressure and undiagnosed Addison's. Low blood pressure is what causes a person to faint and the causes of low blood pressure can vary but it is a symptom of Addison's.

Good luck and Merry Christmas!

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