Tell your healthcare provider if your symptoms return or get worse. When should I call my healthcare provider? You may also need to take medicine that blocks the production of certain hormones. If external steroid use is the cause, you may need to slowly cut back or stop taking the steroid. You may need to have your adrenal glands removed.

Treatment depends on what is causing the overactive glands. It will also depend on how severe the condition is. Treatment will depend on your symptoms, age, and general health. How are overactive adrenal glands treated? These may include a CT scan, ultrasound, or X-ray. Other tests that may help with a diagnosis include:īlood and urine tests. Upper body obesity and thin arms and legs are also common. People with this condition have symptoms that include easy bruising, muscle weakness, and red or purple stretch marks. Your provider may also see if you have any signs of Cushing syndrome, a condition that can occur if your body makes too much cortisol hormone. Your healthcare provider will ask about your health history. How are overactive adrenal glands diagnosed? Always see your healthcare provider for a diagnosis. These symptoms may look like other health problems. Too much of these hormones leads to high blood pressure, sudden and severe headaches, and anxiety symptoms. That may result in weakness, muscle aches, spasms, and sometimes paralysis.Įpinephrine or norepinephrine.

It can also cause low levels of potassium. Too much aldosterone can cause high blood pressure. Upper body obesity, increased fat around the neck, round puffy face, and thin arms and legs are also common.Īldosterone. Symptoms of Cushing syndrome include fragile skin that bruises easily, pink or purple stretch marks, irritability, and depression. This disorder can also be caused by taking high levels of similar steroid hormones.

These may include extra hair growth on the face and body, baldness, acne, a deeper voice, and more muscle mass.Ĭortisol. Too much cortisol can lead to Cushing syndrome. Having too much of them can lead to strong male traits in both men and women. Symptoms depend on which hormones are being overproduced:Īndrogenic steroids (androgen hormones). These include hormones related to testosterone. What are the symptoms of overactive adrenal glands? Some people who take high doses of steroid medicines for a long time will also show signs of extra adrenal hormone effect. Or they can become too active if tumors in other parts of your body make too much CRH (corticotropin-releasing hormone) or ACTH. Your adrenal glands may start to make too many hormones on their own for unknown reasons. They can also become too active if your pituitary gland makes too much of the hormone ACTH (adrenocorticotropin). If they make too much of (overproduce) these hormones, they are called overactive. The adrenal glands make certain types of hormones.

Symptoms of an overactive adrenal gland