Essential Tremors: Common Causes?

[twinTwosome]

I have a tendency to tremble whenever my anxiety kicks up or after a (small) cup of coffee or the occassional cigarette. I know I should give up my vices, but since I haven't yet, I'm just wondering if anyone else has this experience. I seem to have an essential tremor, most notably in my left arm. That arm was tested thoroughly during EMG. But I also notice that I simply shake a lot. Anyone else? Is shaking a sign of anything ominous?Thanks,Becky

 

[edirish73]

WhaaaaaaaT?I cant believe it Becky!!!I have the exact same thing going on.Tremors on my left hand. Same pattern also :Coffee + 50 Marlboro Reds = TremorsThe only thing that should worry you about this tremors, is keeping a proper grip on your delicious cigs while smoking. But hey, theres a very simple solution for that, smoke with your right hand or ask your hubbie to hold the Marlboro for you.I got used to smoking using the right hand (dont like it very much) because, sadly for me, I STILL DONT HAVE A HUSBAND ) ) ) ) ) LOL!!!!!Adiós Amiga Mia,Eduardo

 

[twinTwosome]

Oh, Ed. This actually is a serious inquiry. I shake like a leaf. I drink a sad 6 oz. of coffee a day and smoke 2-4 cigarettes depending on my panic level.Any other movers and shakers?Becky

 

[edirish73]

Yes Becky I know,Its Called ESSENTIAL TREMORS, its a very common symptom with BFS. Usually, it comes into the first months of BFS and then dissapears. It was my case, when I was stricken with anxiety and absolute panic, I even felt my whole legs shaking, it was very unpleasant , but in fact it did go away. You can also use the search tool and look for "shakiness" or "tremors" and you will see its totally common around here.Also, you can check another boards on this issue, I will recommend to you :anxietyzone.comThere are thousands (literally) of people with these tremors and shakiness, and remember also that you are on Day 4 of Zoloft, so therefore, those tremors could easily be an light side effect of the first days. Other side effects that you can expect are :-Enheightend Anxiety.-Hot Flashes.-Mild constipation.-Dry mouth- Weight Gain or LossIf you experience any of these, dont worry, they are temporary, but the good news is that the therapeutical benefits of Zoloft (Sertraline) outweights this temporary effects. Heres the link to the Pfizer website on Zoloft :Just Chill and PMe if you have other doubts,Ed

 

[simonw00]

Hi there BeckyI wonder whether your hunch that the anxiety, caffeine and nicotine are exacerbating your tremor is right on the nose. This would make perfect sense from the medical perspective. Only way to test this though is cut out the caffeine and nicotine and see how you go. Easier said than done, maybe! Certainly no cause for concern though and I'd try not to fixate on the tremor too much as it is not an alarming symptom.RegardsSimon

 

[bdaddyjohnson]

I get tremors a lot. This is the symptom that I hate the most. My tremors are not localized though. I will wake up in the middle of the night and it literally feels like I am a cell phone on vibrate. A good way to describe the feeling is if you were to wake up and find yourself laying on the hood of a running car engine. I don't know if anyone else experiences this but if you place your palm down on a flat surface and then slowly raise your pointer finger upward, my finger dances and shakes like crazy. I don't think this is the norm.

 

[Outlook1958]

I think tremors can also be a standalone symptom, due to the body's sensitivity towards (generic) anxiousness. I've got the same here: After strong coffee my fingers start shaking, same goes for cigarettes. However, I've been already experiencing that for at least five years, whereas my twitches started only five months ago. This even had a positive aspect: I noticed that cigarettes aren't that good for me and so I never really started smoking. Right now I smoke like 10-20 cigarettes per year or something, usually on very special occasions. Guess that won't kill my lungs.I think I can confirm that caffeine really has a negative influence on anxiety. I stopped drinking coffee recently and somehow I feel calmer overall, I actually even feel sleepy all day, especially if I'm doing something monotonous or boring. That's because I used to sleep only 5 hours per day and drink lots of coffee in the past years, regardless of the tremors. Now I guess it's best to try to sleep more and cut down on the coffee. So basically I have to decide between tremos, palpitations, sweating etc and falling asleep at work or university... Great.My doctors confirmed that caffeine, nicotine and even alcohol can have a bad influence on the nervous system, especially if it's over-sensitive. The effects can range from tremors up to panic attacks. That's what I always keep on saying: Everything that's fun, pleasant, tasty etc is bad for the health in some way

 

[Kawaiitchi]

Yup, I'm a tremor person. Mine started two years ago when the generalized twitchyness began - it's worse on the right side than the left, and seems to mostly involve my thumbs but if I hold my hands in certain positions the entire hand vibrates. I also have some joint pain in the thumb joint and the wrists, so who knows - it could be a wierd carpal tunnel thing. At this point I'm going to a neuro to see if I have 'Essential Tremor' but of course, I'm panicked that I have MS. To be honest I don't much want Essential Tremor either, it's not fatal but it's also not curable.Right now I have myself convinced that my right hand is also weaker than my left, and that my occasional blurry, dry allergy eyes are really an MS symptom.On the other hand I went to the gym SIX times last week and was fine every time - that should comfort me, shouldn't it?Blah.Anyone else sick to death of all this?

 

[twinTwosome]

I'm less than 4 months into this and very sick of it! My tremor has improved somewhat since my last post. Zoloft is kicking in and I've (sadly) given up coffee. Cigs are on their way out except for my drinking and smoking binge on Saturday night )