[cprghost]

Whenever I'm nervous I get this uncontrollable shaking.

Here are a few examples:

1) When asking out a girl or asking a girls phone number I get really nervous on what shes going to say. I start shaking a lot when she was giving me her phone number that I couldn't type the phone number. I had to give her my phone because I couldn't even write anything down because thats how bad I was shaking. I shake like crazy.

2) When I was making out with my girlfriend I was really really nervous that I couldn't stop shaking. She was weirded out by it and I used the coldness as an excuse. It lasted for over 10 minutes.

3) When i got another girlfriend and asked her out, I started shaking for over 5 minutes until finally she was my girlfriend and such. But I tried to play it off by sitting down in the chair and discussing things with her.

4) When i was in a theatre play practice I started shaking like crazy when I did my lines. I was so nervous that I stuttered and just couldn't stop shaking. Even afterwards I couldn't stop shaking.

I feel adrenaline rushing through my body and just can't stop shaking. How do I control my body more? What is this problem called?

[gimmeice]

Hello cprghost, it's nice to meet you. It sounds like an anxiety issue but just to be safe you should mention this problem to your doctor just to make sure there isn't some kind of physical issue. Once you rule that out, maybe you could try some therapy because therapy can really help teach you how to cope with anxiety. I really think ruling out the physical aspect of it is important because not knowing what causes the shaking is probably making your anxiety even worse.

[kimmydawn]

Hi there, and welcome!

My daughter had severe tremors due to hyperthyroidism. They became much worse when upset, anxious, what have you.

Tremors can have a cause (as in my daughter's case and she began this as a teen), or may have no known cause.

What you're doing may be tremors and I would certainly see a dr. about it, explaining that it's interfering with your life. Your dr. might want to do some basic bloodwork...please suggest checking thyroid function, hypoglycemia or other sources of tremor that can be checked for in the blood (i.e. vitamin B1 deficiency). If you bloodwork is OK, I'd ask for a referral to a neurologist.

From what I've read this is very treatable when bad enough for treatment.

Some of what I found (at wikipedia under "tremor") said:

Characteristics may include a rhythmic shaking in the hands, arms, head, legs, or trunk; shaky voice; difficulty writing or drawing; or problems holding and controlling utensils, such as a fork. Some tremors may be triggered by or become exaggerated during times of stress or strong emotion, when the individual is physically exhausted, or during certain postures or movements.

From what it sounds like (shaking so badly you can't write), you may be having a type of tremor.

I would definitely go the medical route first because you don't write that you're overly anxious during these times, etc., so I'm assuming you're a nervous that most people would feel in similar situations but still have this severe shaking/tremor that doesn't "match" how you feel.

Good luck!

KD

[cprghost]

Originally Posted by kimmydawn

Hi there, and welcome!

My daughter had severe tremors due to hyperthyroidism. They became much worse when upset, anxious, what have you.

Tremors can have a cause (as in my daughter's case and she began this as a teen), or may have no known cause.

What you're doing may be tremors and I would certainly see a dr. about it, explaining that it's interfering with your life. Your dr. might want to do some basic bloodwork...please suggest checking thyroid function, hypoglycemia or other sources of tremor that can be checked for in the blood (i.e. vitamin B1 deficiency). If you bloodwork is OK, I'd ask for a referral to a neurologist.

From what I've read this is very treatable when bad enough for treatment.

Some of what I found (at wikipedia under "tremor") said:


From what it sounds like (shaking so badly you can't write), you may be having a type of tremor.

I would definitely go the medical route first because you don't write that you're overly anxious during these times, etc., so I'm assuming you're a nervous that most people would feel in similar situations but still have this severe shaking/tremor that doesn't "match" how you feel.

Good luck!

KD

Great insight!

I do have some nervous tremor on my hands I can't keep it still when I hold it out. It gets worst when I get nervous again as I mentioned whenever it has something to do with a girl or public recital such as acting in plays. I would just have to think of one bad thought of embarassment then adrenaline rushes through my body and I can't stop shaking and or talk, my lips starts to tremble and shake and can't complete a sentence. Whats worst is that when this happen, it lasts for at least 5 minutes even when I'm not feeling anxious anymore.

In my college I have a nurse practioner, would that qualify as a doctor or do I need to see a family doctor for this?

[kimmydawn]

I would see an MD for this. I mean, you might start with the NP and get a jump on the blood work. This way you can take the results to the MD, and go from there with him.

I would request the tests that I mentioned before.

Question...have you had, or do you have, any other "odd" things going on physically (i.e. racing heart, heart palpitations, profuse sweating, insomnia, stomach/bowel problems, headaches, etc.)?

It would be good to make a list of everything physically that you've had in your life, including accidents and how you were injured. What might make no sense or have any connections to us, might be a huge puzzle pieces for the doctor. Trust me, I've learned that the hard way.

Once they rule out any physical cause, there are meds that can help the tremor from what I've heard. It might be something "passing" too, that would only have to be medicated short term, or that medication can stop in its tracks and can possibly "trick" the body into not doing what's become its "norm".

Please keep us posted! I truly believe that you can get a handle of this and it will be a thing of the past soon enough.

I wish you more than well.

KD

[Sannah]

Ghost, I would do the same thing when triggered by something. It is a good idea to get checked out physically. This was my same reactions and it was all psychological for me. I had anxiety and figured out a whole bunch of things and now I feel much better and don't shake anymore. Boundaries were a big part of this for me, the boundaries between ourselves and other people. I didn't have healthy boundaries. I learned how to have healthy boundaries. If this is psychological, you are doing it for very clear reasons and all you have to do is figure out these reasons. Have you considered therapy?

[DePressMe]

Hi ghost, yeah it is a good idea to speak with a doctor about this. Check for every possibility. I have had similar experiences and it has been caused by my anxiety disorder. I don't know if that is what you are going through, but I thought I would share my experiences with you.

When I was younger I had incredible shakes like you have now and it also caused me to stutter. In school they thought I did not know how to read because I got so nervous I could not think or make myself speak.

I still sometimes have the shakes but they are not as intense and I no longer stutter. Now, it mainly hits me when I have to give a lecture to students or speak with people of "authority." And, then sometimes it seems like it just randomly hits me for no apparent reason, but now it is manageable and I know I can get through it.

For me, it is most important that I really focus on my breathing--deep inhales and slow exhales. It is vital for me to start working on my breathing before I get into the stressful situations--try to prevent the anxiety from taking over and getting out of control. Anticipate when it might hit and prepare myself for it.

I have also found it to be helpful if I sometimes slightly pause during conversations or lectures--not a long pause that people would notice, but just a slight pause to let myself slow down a bit and organize my thoughts about what I want to say next. Really, people don't pick up on things like that if you just act natural and don't draw attention to it. If you don't make it a big deal, then more than likely they will not make it a big deal and probably won't even notice.

Some of my psych meds help reduce my anxiety. They are not a magic bullet, but they make things more manageable for me. I do have an anxiety disorder and if that is what is causing you problems then maybe meds would help--it is worth exploring the possibilty.

So, maybe try slowing down and doing some deep breathing and always remember that even though you are hyper aware of your anxiety, not everybody else can see it. And you don't have to always let them know what is going on inside you. If you can learn to breath and anticipate the shakes, maybe you will be able to stop them.

It sounds kinda corny for me to say act natural and just roll with things, but I have found that faking confidence in myself and pretending I am not anxious has helped reduce my overall anxiety and reduced the shakes. It has given me true confidence in myself because I have done it and I know I can do. I know that even though I was anxious on the inside, I was able to present myself as calm and relaxed--I did it. The more positive experiences I have had like that have helped me to come to believe in myself because I have proof that I can overcome the anxiety.

Hey, we don't always have to let others know about all our personal internal battles and I hope you can figure out what is causing your shakes and learn to manage them so you can be happy and enjoy yourself while being with others. I believe you can figure out a way to deal with this because you really are an out going person and the shakes don't seem to be a "natural" part of your personality. You sound like an outgoing person--being in theatre and being lucky with the ladies!

So, yeah, fake it if you have to and maybe, like me, you will soon find yourself believing that you can control your shakes and anxiety--that you can take pleasure in the things you want to do in life. Don't let this hold you back.

Maybe after you have had your girlfriend for awhile you can share your struggles with her and maybe that would help her understand if you got the shakes--it would not suprise her as much.

Good luck and I hope you will share more of your experiences here because I am in your corner cheering you on!

[krzyk101]

Hello 'Ghost' and to psych central and I was reading your profile and stated you struggle with add or adhd and was wondering if you are on meds for this issue the ADD/ADHD and if it could be a possible side effect? Just a thought. Sorry if I missed if you are on meds. I agree with kimmydawn, this may be a medical concern to discuss with your MD.

Take care and welcome again to the forums, hope you continue to post and keep in touch here there are many wonderful and kind people here with alot of combined wisdom.

take care kk101

[kim_johnson]

are you on anti-psychotic medication? if so then you really should talk to your p-doc about the tremor...

if not... then having a medical check-up would be worthwhile (just to rule out physical causes of the tremor).

if it is a psychological / anxiety thing (where the rush of adrenalin is caused by psychological factors rather than physical factors) then propranolol might be the wonderful magical cure for you :-)

it isn't often one gets to say that...

[Ephemeris67]

To: cprghost - This sounds like a condition that is rather common, but not many seem to know about it. I have it and it's called Benign Essential Tremors or Essential Tremors. My hands shake all the time (especially when holding something). This is a neurological condition and can bring on "tremor attacks" especially when one is extremely nervous, or sometimes for no apparent reason it may happen. They last about 10 minutes and your head and whole body may shake uncontrollably and it's hard to speak because of the trembling and effect on the nervous system.

If you've noticed any of your older relative that's hands tremble a lot (when holding a cup of coffee, etc.), you probably inherited it like I did from my father and my grandfather. Incidentally, there are medications for Essential Tremors that work quite well (should you want to look into it). With age, the trembling does get more pronounced, but nothing debilitating.

I hope this info helps somebody. If it does, please let me know.