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(def 1).
Contemporary Examples

“There’s an adrenaline rush in being in war zones, and there’s no doubt Lara thrived on it,” says CBS News Chairman Jeff Fager.
The Price Lara Logan Paid Howard Kurtz February 19, 2011

Above all else, it is clear that ISIS is an adrenaline addict.
ISIS Risks Everything to Declare a Caliphate J.M. Berger June 28, 2014

The monetary expansion has been like a shot of adrenaline, or caffeine.
Japan’s Fiscal Crossroads: Will Abenomics Mean Tougher Changes? Daniel Gross July 25, 2013

And ultimately, he makes you feel the catharsis in violence, the adrenaline rush, and the shame in that.
The Power of ‘Straw Dogs’ Malcolm Jones September 18, 2011

The free-range creativity is an enormous relief, a jolt of adrenaline.
My Teacher Who Brought Magic to Room 205 Susan Jane Gilman July 19, 2009

After the adrenaline rush of the emergency came the seemingly never-ending effort to clear away the debris.
Rockaway Finds Warmth Amid the Cold as Residents Rebuild After Sandy Michael Daly November 19, 2012

After two days on his feet, Gorgoglione said he was running on adrenaline.
Manhattan Faces Sandy With a Mixture of Concern and Carefree Spirits Matthew DeLuca October 28, 2012

The adrenaline rush of anticipation, the extra weight of fear as those men walked on into the unknown.
The Marine and His Cousin the Firefighter Maurice Emerson Decaul September 10, 2013

After about five minutes his pulse disappeared, and despite a few more doses of adrenaline, it never returned.
Real Life Lazarus: When Patients Rise From the Dead Sandeep Jauhar August 20, 2014

Historical Examples

In the latter class are included such drugs as hydrastine and adrenaline.
Surgery, with Special Reference to Podiatry Maximilian Stern

noun
a hormone that is secreted by the adrenal medulla in response to stress and increases heart rate, pulse rate, and blood pressure, and raises the blood levels of glucose and lipids. It is extracted from animals or synthesized for such medical uses as the treatment of asthma. Chemical name: aminohydroxyphenylpropionic acid; formula: C9H13NO3 US name epinephrine
n.

also Adrenalin (trademark name), coined 1901 by Japanese chemist Jokichi Takamine (1853-1922), who discovered it, from Modern Latin adrenal (see adrenal) + chemical suffix -ine (2). Adrenaline rush was in use c.1970.

adrenaline a·dren·a·line (ə-drěn’ə-lĭn)
n.
See epinephrine.
adrenaline
(ə-drěn’ə-lĭn)
See epinephrine.
adrenaline [(uh-dren-l-in)]

A hormone secreted by the adrenal glands that helps the body meet physical or emotional stress (see endocrine system).

Note: Adrenaline plays a very large role in the fight or flight reaction, which refers to the various processes that occur within the body when it is confronted with some form of mental or physical stress.

Note: Figuratively, the term adrenaline is used in speaking of a high state of excitement: “When the race began, the adrenaline really started pumping.”