[treevoice]

Question for anyone with anxiety who has associated tremors/shakes...

I first started getting tremors in my head (a rapid no-no motion that lasts about 3-5 seconds), hands, and sometimes full-body when I was recovering from alcoholism. I was also having panic attacks, and wrote off the whole experience as being symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. The longer I was sober, the more those symptoms did subside, so I decided not to worry about it.

Well now I've been sober for over two years, and the tremors are returning. I've always been somewhat of an anxious personality and suffered from social anxiety, which is getting worse with age. The anxiety part I can manage, but recently the tremors have started up again. While they are not as severe or debilitating as the ones I experienced during my recovery, it is always alarming when they occur. Typically it will occur when I am stressed (such as when my boss calls me unexpectedly for a "chat" or if my social anxiety flares up - the tremors are most often related to a stressful social situation which only exacerbates my anxiety), but sometimes they can occur just from performing fine-motor functions such as trying to apply eyeliner delicately.

I've had CT scans, MRIs, and bloodwork done - other than minor iron deficiency, everything came back normal. I've cut back drastically on caffeine and don't use any drugs or prescriptions except for medical marijuana (which does help the tremors a little).

My question is - does anyone have any experience managing this problem? Obviously, I cannot/will not use marijuana at work or while driving. I've had adverse reactions to anti-anxiety drugs in the past and from what I've read online, it doesn't seem that those have been of much help to people with Essential Tremors (which is my and my doctor's best guess as to what I'm experiencing). Does anyone have any suggestions on what helped them prevent these symptoms? Certain dietary changes or supplements, for example? Or avoidable triggers maybe I'm not thinking of? I'm working on some stress management tools which has been effective in managing my anxiety overall, but hasn't seemed to slow down the tremors.

Thank you!

[-jimi-]

While I don't have a solution I can sort of relate. My ET is hands only and usually not anxiety/stress related, but my friend has ET of the head and it is indeed very stress related. So I know when she is really stressed. Mine gets better with Xanax BUT I take it for anxiety and would not take it JUST for ET.

There are other meds for it, but I have no idea if they work or not. Most people I know with ET have chosen not to treat it.

[Skeezyks]

Hello treevoice: I don't really have anything in particular to suggest here. I'm an older person. I experience kind-of a low-grade tremor throughout my body 24 / 7. It's not so much that anyone else would notice it. But I feel it. I don't know what causes it. I have a long history of anxiety. It has been suggested to me that it might be related to a magnesium deficiency. I haven't pursued this though. I'm not into supplements & all of that stuff myself.

Are you familiar with PsychCentral's sister website: "NeuroTalk"? I'm a member over there as well. There are some very knowledgeable members over there. They might have some useful suggestions for you with regard to what you're experiencing:

NeuroTalk Support Groups

[-jimi-]

For me, my Ritalin increases ET but maybe shakiness overall, it is hard to tell, being tired also, and sometimes caffeine too. Being well rested and not skipping meals can help me SOME, but it's not a cure. My ET seem to wax and wane depending on things I don't even know what they are.

I inherited this from one of my parents. They were totally unaware this could be passed down, duh! I've had it since I was 30 maybe. Since I have it in hands it is noticeable if I try to do small writing (sometimes totally impossible) or just holding a glass of water. I don't have resting tremors.

For those who have ET of the neck and head it is quite different since the head is never totally at rest (well maybe when you sleep), it always needs some muscle tension to stay where it belongs. So it sounds like worse in a way. At least I can stop shaking by relaxing my hands.

To my understanding, stress and anxiety actually does not cause ET. If you have it you have it. But it might be so silent that it does not show unless the body is stressed. Also I wonder if ET gets worse with "usage". I have it much worse in my dominant hand and the same with my parent.

Sites I visited says betablockers might help. Now I have doubts using betablockers because of side effects, but I also saw a suggestion using some kind of seizure med.

Kinda blows when I'm getting older people gonna just think I am shaky because old people are. But I had this "always"... also I'm not sure healthy old people shake or if that is one of the myths that goes around to make old people complain less about real conditions... Hm.

[BrazenApogee]

I don't think I have ET, but I do shake when I am anxious. When I had my breakdown, I was uncontrollably shaking for a month and a half. Psychotherapy has helped me not do it so much. It still happens when I get really anxious, and I get an uncontrollable stutter sometimes when it's really bad too. Being with a good T has helped. He is so calm, he makes me calm down and the shaking slows down.