# It HAS to be essential tremor...



## styler5 (Oct 7, 2006)

I've done some more research on essential tremor for the last few days, and I'm becoming more and more positive that I have essential tremor. Here are some things I noticedmost are from wikipedia)
-It's evoked by intentional movements.
-It occures most often to hands and slightly less often to neck.
-Any kind of stress tends to make ET worse, creating the false impression that the tremor is of psychosomatic origin.
-Many of the treatment options for ET and SA overlap.
-Up to a third of ppl with ET also have SA.

What makes me more suspecious is that I'm one of the social phobias with very severe tremor problem(at least in this forum) and that neck tremor doesn't go away even when I'm alone.(although it gets much less severe) The thing is, no one ever noticed(at least they say so) that my head shakes...even a neurologist.


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## Sasha (Mar 1, 2006)

I can relate. I have essential tremor as well, which most people have apparently not noticed. However, I've noticed that I've been shaking a lot since I was a child and I went to my family doctor, who recommended I see a neurologist. He questioned me and did a few tests, and sure enough he diagnosed me with essential tremor. My ET also affects me when I am alone, though not as bad. However, there are apparently no cures, and though there may be medications to calm it down, the side effects are probably worse than the ET itself. That's what the neurologist told me.


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## sleepysmurf (Jun 22, 2006)

I am very shakey in the morning... I have a TENSE feeling that will not go away... I feel very very tense and my neck and face (around my lips) get really twitchy when im talking to people. Which is not good :/ I dunno if its ET... I can deal with the shaking... but this feeling of being Tense all the time is killing me. Are you guys finding that you are worse in the AM? are you tense all the time? do your lips twitch / neck ?


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## sleepysmurf (Jun 22, 2006)

I seriously think I have an adrenaline problem


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## peter19 (Oct 3, 2007)

I think a lot of people with ET get SA over time, because of the condition. I suffer from essential tremor all my life (I'm almost 30 now), and I'm especially having difficulties to cope with my trembling mouth issues (when I smile, my mouth shivers).


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## sparky10 (Dec 30, 2008)

This has made me think actually, i was diagnosed with essential tremor some 10 years ago. I tried propanalol but that was no good to me. i did think about trying topomax but the sideeffects seemed worse than the affliction itself.
I get the mouth thing aswell like a quiver and this seems to have got less over the years :S It has always affected my hands the most and other parts like neck head and legs less frequently.
I wonder if this was a large contributing factor to my SA idk but i was always very shy growing up aswell.


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## peter19 (Oct 3, 2007)

Do you also have the tremors when you're completely alone and relaxed? If you have an essential tremor you'll have the tremors all the time. Stress or being around other people can only worsen the tremors.

Are you on any other medication or how did the mouth tremors go away?


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## styler5 (Oct 7, 2006)

I had done more research that convinced me that I don't have essential tremor. I get twitches that almost always occur on the neck but also any other part of the body. Intense no-no neck spasms happen when my anxiety level is completely out of control or when I get startled.

When I'm alone, I do get random twitches but less frequently. I still don't know whether this is psychogenic or somatogenic. What I do know is that it's become worse because of poor nutrition, stress, lack of exercise, irregular sleep pattern, computer addiction, and Xanax dependence.


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## peter19 (Oct 3, 2007)

Some easy exercises to see if you have essential tremor (but just go to a neurologist to be sure, he can tell you in about 5 minutes):
- can you draw a clear spiral without shaking on a piece of paper?
- when you open the space between your fingers on your hand, and close it again until your fingers touch eachother, do you get a lot of shaking of the fingers? 

Most people with ET will have these symptoms, it are action tremors (a hand in rest will not shake). 

Any other people over here, with the specific facial tremors? Let's unite and find a solution for this!?


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