# Essential Tremor



## sparky10 (Dec 30, 2008)

I have had this for many years although it is not as bad as some
people who really suffer badly with this. Mine is more mild but gets a lot worse due to stress and exertion. Does anyone take meds that work well for this condition? I have heard beta blockers are good but didnt work well for me. ive also heard topomax is used for this aswell. Anyones experiences of this condition would be welcome


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## copper (Nov 10, 2003)

I had essential tremors all my life. My mother has them too. She took inderal for awhile which worked for her. But the doctor really gave it to her for high bp. But being a betablocker it helps with tremors too. I have never took anything for mine. I probably will end up because it seems they are getting worse esp when I use my hands for fine motor skills like threading a needle, screwing a bolt in, etc. My hands shake so much I can't hardly due things that require fine motor skills.


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## belfort (May 3, 2009)

whats the cause of this, just too much adrenaline??


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## alte (Sep 4, 2010)

Couple things you can try:

Use wrist weights, these are thought to reduce amplitude but not frequency of tremors in the hands.

Wrist/hand strengthening exercises could help.

Magnesium/thiamine deficiency can cause essential tremor.

Other than beta blockers, can use anticonvulsants (primidone).

Surgery is an option as a last resort.


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## Kon (Oct 21, 2010)

Primidone? You can start at 62.5 mg at bedtime (increase by 62.5 mg every 7 days) to 125-250 mg 3 times daily:

See table 1:

http://www.cfp.ca/cgi/reprint/56/3/250​


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## TPower (Feb 3, 2011)

Have it. Been told all my life _why are you nervous?_ or _stop being nervous_. _Stop shaking _or _why are you shaking?_.

Now I am liable to tell people to go **** themselves or to mind their own business.


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## nothing to fear (Mar 23, 2005)

My Dad has bad tremors and is on beta-blockers.. they help but not enough to eliminate them. It can be bad sometimes, especially when he has to steady his hands and sometimes can't carry plates or cups of water and I try to help him when with him, he also struggles with writing and can't keep control of his hands for more than half a page of writing. 
I'm curious to know how people with jobs manage having them with the tremors. For my Dad they are caused by taking high doses of Lithium for several years and even though he is off them they are as bad as ever and it sounds like they will be permanent. 

He also gets comments and people have asked if he's nervous, knowing him he has likely said something along the lines of "**** off" or "Mind your own ****ing business" more than once, hahaha.


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## copper (Nov 10, 2003)

belfort said:


> whats the cause of this, just too much adrenaline??


It is caused by a disfunction in the Thalamus in the brain. The Thalamus controls muscle coordination. Essential tremor is inherited. My mother has them, her mother had them, her mothers mother had them, etc. I was the unlucky one to get that gene. You usually get them in the hands, but you can get them in your neck, and you can also can get them in your vocal cords. I read about a lady that got them in her vocal cords she couldn't speak very well anymore. She had to give up her job.


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## sparky10 (Dec 30, 2008)

yeah esential tremor is inherited a kind of neurological abnormality if
you will. My grandfather on my mums side had them quite bad yet my mother never had them. it can skip a generation and i must have the gene. its strange because it is always there but emotion reaction makes it a lot worse. Strength exercises work for the wrist and hands do make it better. If you have this condition and have had alcohol the next day it is ten times worse.
It is not related to anxiety in causage but like one poster said it is one of the worst symptoms because it is so obvious and embarrasing because people think your nervous.
I often wonder how many people with this condition have anxiety disorder
as it makes people self concious and in time that can lead to these things very easily.


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## copper (Nov 10, 2003)

TPower said:


> Have it. Been told all my life _why are you nervous?_ or _stop being nervous_. _Stop shaking _or _why are you shaking?_.
> 
> Now I am liable to tell people to go **** themselves or to mind their own business.


Same with me. I feel like punching their lights out. I had a case manager make fun of mine at work. Well I don't make fun of her when she has a seizure do I? So stop making fun of me for a neurological disorder that I can't control.


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## sparky10 (Dec 30, 2008)

copper said:


> Same with me. I feel like punching their lights out. I had a case manager make fun of mine at work. Well I don't make fun of her when she has a seizure do I? So stop making fun of me for a neurological disorder that I can't control.


Thats just plain out of order , some peoples lack of understanding and ignorance really gets to me at times. These kind of people are not worth 
bothering with if you could possibly help it. did you explain what it was or 
did you just say xxxx you?


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## copper (Nov 10, 2003)

sparky10 said:


> Thats just plain out of order , some peoples lack of understanding and ignorance really gets to me at times. These kind of people are not worth
> bothering with if you could possibly help it. did you explain what it was or
> did you just say xxxx you?


I wish I could, but they would fire my butt in two minutes. Where I work it is a big women's club. Women dominate that place. They don't like men esp educated men in the first place.


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## sparky10 (Dec 30, 2008)

copper said:


> I wish I could, but they would fire my butt in two minutes. Where I work it is a big women's club. Women dominate that place. They don't like men esp educated men in the first place.


I can totally relate, where i worked last it was exactly the same. A lot
of them were judgemental and critical aswell which i do hate. I especially
disliked the *****iness and the two facedness of it. I guess you can not
win in that environment, just made my sa worse!


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## hanakimi (Nov 28, 2009)

This is my first time to post here. Im interested to post here since i want to find some answers and to know others experiences having this kind of illness. I can totally think that i have essential tremors or familial tremors. All my life I've thought we are the only one who have these kind of illness that we inherited from my dad since birth. It is really frustrating having these tremors all my life, im so conscious when im around others.I think as time goes by it really gets worst. i dont know exactly why. It affects my hands,neck,legs and all.
are essential tremors curable? what are some of the medicines that others take to lessen them? One of the doctor said im must try botox but i didnt dare to try it. Im afraid! Does someone try it?


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## sparky10 (Dec 30, 2008)

hanakimi said:


> This is my first time to post here. Im interested to post here since i want to find some answers and to know others experiences having this kind of illness. I can totally think that i have essential tremors or familial tremors. All my life I've thought we are the only one who have these kind of illness that we inherited from my dad since birth. It is really frustrating having these tremors all my life, im so conscious when im around others.I think as time goes by it really gets worst. i dont know exactly why. It affects my hands,neck,legs and all.
> are essential tremors curable? what are some of the medicines that others take to lessen them? One of the doctor said im must try botox but i didnt dare to try it. Im afraid! Does someone try it?


Im afraid that there is no cure for it other than deep brain stimulation but
that is kinda risky! there are meds like beta blockers that help for some
and topomax which i have never taken so dont know if it would help.
I have heard botox can help but it is only temprary and with you having it in many places im not sure on how much it would help.
Exercise and strength incresing exercises has helped me the most. alcohol helps but for a short time.
I hope they are researching new meds for this as it would help so many people who suffer!


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## Noob (Mar 21, 2011)

I don't shake, I twitch. =)


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## Minaret (May 10, 2012)

*natural remedy*

So far no one has talked about any natural remedys. I read the other day that ashwagandha is a natural beta blocker and an ACE inhibitor that helps with essential tremor. has anyone here tried it? I am going to order some and give feedback on its effects. also magnesium citrate helps

I have been offered Rivotril and beta blockers by my doc. they have a washing list of side effects and I hate taking them... but I need something for visits to the dentist etc when the tremor is particularly bad.

Otherwise I drink passionflower tea at night to help me get off to sleep.. it really works and valerian tea during the day helps slow me down as I often feel quite hyperactive.


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## rushing (Mar 26, 2014)

*what worked and what didn't for my head tremor*

I have tried both b complex shots and b12 shots and noticed that b12 shots do a better job in reducing tremors by about 40% if i take them twice a week.. try them .. i have ET in head since i was 9 yrs but progress was drastic since i hit 40 now i am 43 and still i manage to disguise it most of the times unless i am in a very stressful situation , also amazingly Propranolol doesn't help at all and Tianeptine (stablon) helps tremendously !! which is usually prescribed to GAD and depression... one last thing magnesium also helped me BIG TIME donno why .. and together with calcuim they work great to sooth my tremors, good luck


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