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Essential Tremor and anxiety

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ThomasBennett
ThomasBennett

Hi, I'm 19 years old and I have ET and anxiety because of that.

So, I went to my second appointment with my neurologist and I told him about my tremors and my anxiety. And that the dose I was taking (10mg Inderal 3 times a day) was not working. I was feeling no side effects or improvements on my tremors and anxiety. So this time he raised the dose to 20mg 3 times a day and he said that If 60 mg per day doesn't improve my tremors It's not worth to give me a higher dose. So, I told him If he could give me some medicine to take in anxious situations. He gave me Alprazolam 0.25 mg to take only in anxious situations in a maximum of one per week, because taking it in long term can affect my mental ability. 

So, let me ask you some questions:

If 60 mg of Inderal per day doesn't improve my tremors, it means that's not worth taking a higher dose?

There is something alternative to improve my tremors If Inderal can't?

There is any anti-anxiety medicine that's not too strong that could calm down my anxiety and I could take it long term? (I only need to take it in 6 months or less depending on how I'm adapting, because I'm going to work for the first time outside my country for 6 months and I will feel very anxious because of my tremors.)

Since my doctor prescribed me Alprazolam 0.25 mg in stressfull situations to calm down my anxiety, can I take a higher dose, like 0.50 mg If I feel that 0.25 mg doesn't get me more relaxed?

If you want more info about my situation and my 1st appointment here is the link:

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/inderal-10mg-3-times-a-day-not-working-426667

P.S: Sorry for my bad english :D

0 likes, 41 replies

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  • Tezes
    Tezes ThomasBennett

    Posted

    I take one tablet a day - 80mgs of slow release propranolol for my tremors which works for me. They only come back if I forget to take them.

    My Neurologist told me if they don't work there are a lot of other meds I could take for tremor such as topamax.

    I also take sertraline for anxiety, any of these drugs can be taken for a short length of time it you mostly have to come off them slowly

    Hope this helps

    • ThomasBennett
      ThomasBennett Tezes

      Posted

      Hi Tezes.

      Thanks for the reply.

      I asked my neurologist if I could take Inderal slow release, and he said they are not selling anymore here in Portugal. He said there are more meds that can stop the tremors like primidone and that I could take other meds for the anxiety as well but the problem is using that in long term can affect my mental ability, and since I'm 19 years old he doesn't want to give me that. But this tremors and this anxiety are affecting my social life, so I dont know what to do right now. 

  • fulhamgirl
    fulhamgirl ThomasBennett

    Posted

    Sometimes the so called 'cure' is worse thanthe original condition.

    I decades ago, was prescribed tranquilisers - then had to come off them too quickly. Which gave all sorts of other problems. Though my life is more on-track now - the advent of chip & pin was a godsend - no more 'signing'. Though, it's given me a 'social phobia'  - don't like talking to people face-to-face for long - just in case i 'nod'.

    My partner on the other hand never sort any help with his (he can remember being called out by a teacher in Junior School - 'ah that explains about your spider writing'), he just lets it happen believing the more you try to stop it the worse it beckons, so don't 'try' but 'let' and carry on.

     

    • ThomasBennett
      ThomasBennett fulhamgirl

      Posted

      Hi fulhamgirl.

      Thanks for the reply smile

      So, what do you recommend to control my anxiety without meds? When I start shaking when I have people around I feel very anxious, and I can't control it. Hence the reason I wanted something to stop the tremors or at least something to stop the anxiety, because the anxiety makes the tremors even worse. I tried to do what you said some weeks ago but I just can't, I always feel that people is looking at me, and I can't stop thinking about that.

  • fulhamgirl
    fulhamgirl ThomasBennett

    Posted

    I know it is hard, but is it just your hand/fingers that shake or does your head go as well - I have a problem with that.

    You could perhaps consider 'working-out' - it will work-off the stress induced adrenalin, and more muscle should reduce the effect of the ET.

    But, I think the 'trick' will be to not care what people think, besides they have plenty of their own worries to be concerned about someone with the 'shakes'.

    What is worse - the 'shakes' or the anxiety of what people will think? Have you told anyone? It's something you could try, if someone says anything or if you think someone is staring tell - 'I have Essential Tremour' - after all it's not leprosy, you are not 'unclean'.

    HTHs Good luck 

    • ThomasBennett
      ThomasBennett

      Posted

      The anxiety of what people think is the problem. When I'm with my friends and I know I will not shake I feel relaxed, but when I know I'm going to do something that I'm gonna shake I feel much more anxious. My friends know that I have this tremors. When I'm grabbing a cup of coffee and my hand starts to tremble  some of them who are watching, starts to laugh in a discret way but I know they are laughing because of my tremors. But I can live with it. But the problem, is that I'm going to work for 6 months with people that I never talked before, and I know I will feel very anxious because of this tremors.
    • fulhamgirl
      fulhamgirl ThomasBennett

      Posted

      Then, rather than worry about what they may think, be upfront about it, so that if and when they do shake/tremble you have less cause to be anxious - because they already 'know'. They may think - 'ah, that's what he's on about'. But by being upfront it should reduce your anxiety - about what they may think, moreover because you'll be under less stress worrying - they'll be less chance of ET happening.

      I can be a noddy, while my undiagnosed Partner apart from his hand shake - (pint of beer - he always starts with two hands) - especially of an evening can get an involuntary leg twitch.

       

  • Tezes
    Tezes ThomasBennett

    Posted

    Hi again

    yes the inderal brand of propranolol has been taken off the market but there are generic brands which is what I take and are the same.

    propranolol works for controlling tremors and anxiety

    I understand how you feel, when my tremors were more noticeable I felt embarrassed that people might think I was nervous or an alcoholic. I was always spilling drinks and my balance was poor.

    I guess what I'm saying is that you need to weigh up the pro's and cons of taking medication against how much tremor is affecting your lifestyle, I hope you get sorted out soon

    • ThomasBennett
      ThomasBennett Tezes

      Posted

      It's not my affecting my daily life. I can do pretty much anything. But the tremors are noticeable and people can see that when I try to do certain positions. That's why I avoid doing things I know I will tremble but I don't want do avoid that. I just avoid because people will watch me tremble and I will get very anxious... Sometimes my friends call me lazy because I don't want to do certain things. For example, we go camping sometimes and we bring to the camping heavy stuff and when I finish doing that my hands shake a lot, and I can't even drink from a glass, and when I watch my friends, they are rock steady, and can drink from a glass with no problems. But what I don't like is the tremors on my legs... When I feel very anxious sometimes they start to shake when I'm on a line on the market etc... But this started November last year. Before that I could get very anxious and my legs would not shake.
    • ThomasBennett
      ThomasBennett

      Posted

      And I'm on Inderal 20mg 3 times a day, and I don't feel any improvement. I will talk to my doctor next month If he can give me another med to see if it improves this tremors. I wanna see if I can find a solution for this tremors before september, because I will work out of my country and I don't want to shake or feel anxious to the point of couldn't my job properly.
  • Guest
    Guest ThomasBennett

    Posted

    Hi Thomas,

    Thanks for starting this form , I'm trying to make sure the meds I take kill two birds with one stone. I got anxiety this year at age 23 and because of that the tremor I have which is head, arms, hands and legs got even worse.Or was it the other way around? Who knows. So I started taking 2x23.75mg of metoprolol every morning. And it makes the tremor better but doesn't stop it completely. And I'm wondering if I should up the dost till the tremor stops completely or should be happy with how it is. I mean I didn't care about the tremor before this year.

    I've talked to a counsellor about the anxiety but if it's escalating because of the tremor then maybe I should of talked to her about that. I didn't. I also haven't been "professionally" diagnosis for ET but it doesn't take a genius to see that I'm shaking also many cousins and aunties have a tremor as well.

    So back to the question should I up the dost? Try something new? Or be satisfy with what I've got?

    • Tezes
      Tezes Guest

      Posted

      Well I would start by asking to see a neurologist who specialises in movement disorders to get an accurate diagnosis. 

      ET can be heredatory but so can many other disorders that cause tremors. I was diagnosed last year with dystonia a neuro movement disorder. It affects my neck and my larynx I also have dystonic tremor which was my first symptom. There is a difference between ET and Dystonic tremor. Also some similarities since they both affect the same parts of the brain. The treatment is different though so it's best to get a difinitive diagnosis. The main difference in the tremor is that in ET it is usually even whereas dystonic tremor is jerky. Dystonia also causes anxiety I.e it is a symptom of dystonia. I currently take a combination of propranolol, sertraline and clonazepam to treat my dystonic symptoms. Amongst other treatments and therapies from ENT, speech therapy and neurology.

      good luck

    • fulhamgirl
      fulhamgirl Guest

      Posted

      But why take anything at all, seriously why? To stop the tremors you may say, but they don't they may reduce but they don't stop! Tremours increase because of 'social anxiety' and/or stress.

      With the latter for example, my partner use to work in a call centre, and a bad abusive call could result - not just in his fingers trembling, no the whole hand to the elbow would shake. He may go for a quick break tea etc., or just carry on with the next call.

      If it's 'anxiety' learn to cope with it - talk to other people about - why be ashamed or embarrassed - it's not your fault.

      Why take a pill to mask your thinking, change instead your thinking - its your thoughts, better to be in control. 

    • Guest
      Guest fulhamgirl

      Posted

      I completely agree with you. That I need to change my thinking which I am learning to do right now. But I'm not ashame of this anxiety in fact I've been very open with it. It's not to hide this tremor it was to manage my heart when it would start beating rapidly when an attack would occur. Now I enjoy the ease it gives this tremor and I don't feel so fragile and I'm not trembling so much now. It's nice to have that control back.
    • ThomasBennett
      ThomasBennett Guest

      Posted

      Hello. I also tried Primidone (Mysoline) 125 mg a day for 2 months and didn't work out on my tremor but it can work for you. Now I'm seeing a psychologist and a psychiatrist to see if I can overcome my anxiety since I have no cure for my tremors. I started taking yesterday Escitalopram ( 1 pill of 10 mg a day) and Victan (1 mg morning and 2 mg at dinner) + Inderal 10mg 3x/day until Escitalopram starts to kick in. But Victan and Inderal are not working for me. The only drug that helps on my anxiety it's alprazolam (Xanax), my neurologist recommended 0.5 mg but I have to take 1mg to calm down my anxiety, but I only take it as needed because i don't want to get addicted to it.

      And as far as I know, on the place I live I'm the onlyo ne with  this tremors which makes more unconfortable about this.

      I think you should work on your anxiety as well because it increases the tremors, and i'ts a vicious circle. The way to overcome it it's not caring about what other people think. But it's so hard not to care...

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