Hormones are secreted in response to stressful conditions of various types. The organs of fibromyalgia patients do not secrete the stress hormones appropriately. When they are under stress, the stress hormones are not released during the stressful period. They just keep working, utilizing normal energy and feeling exhausted from the whole ordeal. The patient experiences a rapid heart rate, a sense of urgency, and shortness of breath.
Adrenaline begins to circulate in the body and the patient feels hot, cold or sweaty.
Because the person is not doing anything stressful at that particular moment and can see no significant precipitating factor to elicit this type of response, the patient may become more fearful. Within a short time the same process will be repeated. These cycles will continue until all the stress hormones are exhausted from the adrenal glands and from the central nervous system. Then the cycles will stop so that the body can regenerate all of the stress hormones. If these patients will later again experience another stressful condition until the delayed threshold is reached, the panic attach cycle will repeat itself.