When your body suddenly floods your system with adrenaline-like chemicals for no reason, it’s often not anxiety—it’s a pheochromocytoma, a rare, usually noncancerous tumor in the adrenal gland that overproduces catecholamines. Also known as adrenal chromaffin cell tumor, it’s the hidden cause behind unexplained panic attacks, pounding heartbeats, and spikes in blood pressure that don’t respond to normal meds. This isn’t something you can ignore. Left untreated, these sudden surges can trigger stroke, heart attack, or even sudden death.
Pheochromocytoma doesn’t show up on routine blood tests. Doctors look for patterns: episodes of severe headache, sweating so intense it soaks your clothes, and heart rates over 120 bpm without exertion. These aren’t random—they’re tied to the tumor releasing catecholamines, hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine that control heart rate, blood pressure, and stress response. The tumor itself is often found in the adrenal gland, but sometimes it grows along nerve tissue outside the adrenal, called a paraganglioma, a related tumor type that can behave similarly but may be harder to locate. Imaging like CT or MRI is needed, but the real diagnostic clue is elevated metanephrines in urine or blood—markers that scream tumor activity.
Most people with pheochromocytoma don’t have family history, but if you’ve had it before, or if you’re young and have multiple tumors, genetic testing matters. Around 30% of cases are linked to inherited syndromes like MEN2 or VHL. Surgery is the only cure—and it works, if done right. But you can’t just go in. Doctors must prep you with alpha-blockers first, sometimes for weeks, to stabilize your blood pressure. Jumping into surgery without that prep is dangerous. After removal, most patients return to normal—but monitoring continues, because recurrence happens.
What you’ll find below isn’t theory. These are real cases, real tests, real treatment paths people have taken. From how to recognize the warning signs before it’s too late, to what happens when meds fail and surgery isn’t an option, to why some people still feel off even after the tumor’s gone—this collection cuts through the noise. No fluff. Just what you need to understand, ask for, and act on.
