Short Term Adrenal Fatigue

Causes

Caused from the over use of adrenal stimulants (most often Adrenal Tonics used by soldiers and adventurers during prolonged engagements), Short Term Adrenal Fatigue is a common condition among warriors, explorers, and sailors in The Eternal Empire(organization:8a6db90a-788b-4c6e-b6ce-84a4c57c3a3e). While not a serious condition on it's own, its effects are an important consideration for any military commander as it can rapidly reduce the effectiveness of a fight force. That being said however, the short term effects of @[Adrenal Tonics are widely lauded by nearly every culture in Alwaus, and as such the condition is rather ubiquitous.

Symptoms

With each use of an Adrenal Tonic in a given day, the restorative properties of the tonic have a noticeably lessened effect on the user. While the initial use of the stimulant provides the user with the surge of energy necessary to ignore injury and fatigue and continue battling, uses beyond that consistently provide less of physiological benefit as the user's adrenal system is taxed beyond the natural levels for their species. Alchemists advise a user to never exceed more than a standard five doses in a single day, not only because this is the break even point for most species, but also because continued use can cause long term and irreversible damage to the user's nervous system.
Short term effects of adrenal fatigue are intense fatigue, headache, nausea, vertigo, shortness of breath, difficultly concentrating, and numbness of extremities.

Treatment

In most cases the best treatment for adrenal fatigue is simply natural rest and a warm cooked meal - commodities that are unfortunately hard to come by in the dangerous situations the heaviest users of Adrenal Tonic tend to find themselves in. A well made Adrenal Tonic should be stable and safe for moderate use in most species, with only mild side effects that are easily remedied by rest and abstinence of further uses of adrenal stimulants.
A popular remedy among the rank and file soldiers in the human military is dark wine and ale, however attempts to study the effects of this home remedy have been inconsistent and it is much more likely that the soldiers are merely getting becoming intoxicated to the point that they no longer notice the symptoms of short term adrenal fatigue.

Prognosis

Most adrenal stimulants are taken in the midst of a stressful situation, often a long battle or skirmish, which takes a considerable toll on a specie's physiology even without the reliance of adrenal stimulants. When the stress of an encounter has passed, the nervous system normally stops producing natural adrenaline as the subject's body returns to normal day to day stress levels. The same process occurs with the introduction of external adrenaline, albeit with significantly amplified results.
The side effects for spikes in adrenaline are often fatigue and euphoria, which subsides quickly in most cases. When the user has taken multiple doses of external adrenaline however, they often experience the symptoms for upwards of 2 - 10 hours, depending largely on species and dosage. Often the user will awaken the next morning with the symptoms minimized or silence altogether albeit often worse for wear from the strain the previous day's encounter took on their body.

Prevention

The best prevention of Short Term Adrenal Fatigue is to simply avoid the useage of Adrenal Tonics and other external sources of adrenal (more commonly known as battle stimulants). Unfortunately however, certain lines of work and various lifestyles are simply unable to refuse the tactical advantage the sustaining power these stimulants can provide a warrior, and as such they are frequent users.
If usage cannot be avoided altogether, then moderation is advised when using adrenal stimulants, especially when taking multiple doses over the course of a single day. As the symptoms of adrenal fatigue are magnified with each successive dose, anything beyond a third dose in a single day will often ensure signification adrenal withdrawal symptoms occur when the current encounter resolves. As such, the user must weigh the longer term effects of adrenal fatigue against the possibility of serous injury or even death in a combat situation - a choice easy to make for most warriors in Alwaus.

Cultural Reception

Treated with the same level of reverence and disdain as alcohol withdrawal (or "hangover) in most cultures, the condition has become a source of bragging rights for many warrior groups in Alwaus, in particular the conscripted rank and file soldiers of the human military. The most common cultural outlook on the condition is that it serves as a reminder of a great battle fought recently, and stronger symptoms of adrenal fatigue are considered a sign that the soldier fought against an exceptionally difficult opponent and survived. Naturally of course, this has lead to a popularization of exaggerated symptoms among the common soldiers, especially those who are newly enlisted and eager to prove themselves to their brothers and sisters at arms.

Type

Physiological

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Common