Norepinephrine: What It Does and How to Balance It

Norepinephrine (also called noradrenaline) is a brain chemical and hormone that controls alertness, mood, and blood pressure. You notice it when your heart races, when you focus hard, or when stress kicks in. It acts fast and helps your body respond to challenges, but too much or too little can cause real trouble.

How norepinephrine affects you

Norepinephrine raises wakefulness and sharpens attention. That helps in work, study, or reacting to danger. It also tightens blood vessels to raise blood pressure when needed. Too much can make you jittery, anxious, sweaty, and keep you awake at night. Too little can cause low energy, poor concentration, fainting, and low blood pressure.

Common causes of high norepinephrine include acute stress, caffeine, some stimulants, and rare tumors like pheochromocytoma. Low levels can come from long-term adrenal fatigue, certain antidepressants, or nerve damage. Medications change norepinephrine too: SNRIs and NRIs increase it; some blood pressure drugs and MAO inhibitors affect its levels in other ways.

How to check and manage levels

If you suspect a problem, a doctor may order blood or urine tests that measure norepinephrine or its breakdown products. Tests are often timed around symptoms because levels change with activity and stress. For blood pressure or fainting issues, tilt-table tests and heart monitoring may be used alongside chemical testing.

Treatments depend on the cause. For dangerously low blood pressure in the hospital, norepinephrine can be given as an IV drug (brand name Levophed) to raise pressure quickly. For chronic low mood or attention problems, doctors may choose medications that raise norepinephrine gradually. High levels tied to anxiety or panic are usually treated with therapy, lifestyle change, and sometimes medication that lowers arousal.

Simple daily steps can help balance norepinephrine. Prioritize regular sleep, cut back on caffeine and stimulants, and practice brief breathing or grounding techniques when stress spikes. Moderate exercise boosts healthy norepinephrine function and helps with mood and focus, but very intense workouts can temporarily raise it a lot, so match activity to your needs.

Diet matters too. Protein provides amino acids needed to make norepinephrine; balanced meals with lean protein, healthy fats, and whole carbs support steady brain chemicals. Avoid extreme dieting or long fasting, which can disturb hormones and energy.

Medications and supplements that affect norepinephrine include SNRIs, NRIs, tricyclics, some ADHD stimulants, and supplements like L-tyrosine. Don't start supplements without checking with a doctor— they can interact with prescription drugs. If you're on antidepressants or blood pressure meds, changes in norepinephrine can change how you feel, so any new symptom should be discussed with your prescriber.

Quick red flags include fainting, a racing heart, severe anxiety, or prolonged low mood. Seek urgent care for chest pain or fainting.