[dpellsworth]

My hands shake when I am out in public. Like when I am holding a plate in line to get food and people are around. Or when I first start a job and they train me and I can barely type I am shaking so bad. Could this be anxiety? I was a heavy drinker for 20 years and my doc says that could be it but I don't know.

[Skeezyks]

Hello dpellsworth: I think this is really something you'll need to figure out with your treating physician... or perhaps another physician in some appropriate medical specialty. I don't know about the drinking. This makes sense to me. But that's just my personal opinion based on nothing concrete really. Beyond that it is true that psych med's can sometimes cause symptoms such as this.

I was on Cymbalta for a couple of years &, over time, I began to develop "jerky" hand movements. For example, when I would be moving my computer mouse, all of a sudden, my hand would just twitch uncontrollably. I went off of my psych med's a few months back & I no longer have that experience. There are of course also medical conditions, such as Parkinson's Disease, that can cause this sort of thing. So, from my perspective, it's really something that needs to be investigated medically. Good luck!

[Thunder Bow]

Talk to your doctor about Parkinson's disease. That is usually caused by heavy drinking,

[stairway]

I will get the shaking thing sometimes. Make sure you got food in your stomach. even a glass of milk can stop the shakes..my brother says b-12 vitamins work

Originally Posted by dpellsworth

My hands shake when I am out in public. Like when I am holding a plate in line to get food and people are around. Or when I first start a job and they train me and I can barely type I am shaking so bad. Could this be anxiety? I was a heavy drinker for 20 years and my doc says that could be it but I don't know.

For me this is a medication thing (lithium for example will cause this). I tremble at times for no reason at all. I really tremble at times I am under stress.

Yes, making sure your stomach is full is probably the biggest strategy I have. I carry a granola bar around with me.

Yes, there are times like those you mentioned that are quite embarrassing. Touching something - even my leg - seems to help me. I notice I become animated or talkative in such situations - I guess it is a mode of compensation or effort to distract people.

When people notice and ask about it, I have found I have begun to be honest and admit I am anxious.