Can anxiety cause hand tremors?

[littleomelette]

I am a 25 year old female.  This past six weeks I have noticed that I have developed hand tremors.

I have been through an extremely stressful period since summer, but those situations have calmed down now, and my tremors have come on since the stress eased off.

I am reasonably healthy and cannot see a reason for this to start happening.  Is it possible that the stress and anxiety that I have been through could have manifested itself in my hands (and what feels like my arms)and make them shake?  I feel like I am picking things up and moving them about as if I was extremely nervous.  I also feel like I can feel the blood pumping through my upper body as my heart beats and I am constantly tired.  I haven't had to stop doing anything.  I have full feeling and can type/write etc perfectly fine.

I am driving myself crazy noticing every little abnormal movement and twitch.  I saw a doctor and she said it was like my mind was that tired/fatigued that my body has decided to do something about it.  Could this be true?  And will my symptoms ever go away?  At the moment it seems like I will be living with them forever.  I just want to be normal again and stop shaking.  Please help.  Any advice would be gratefully recieved.

[littleomelette]

Sorry, also thought I should mention that my arms get really tired when I am lifting things, even a cup of tea.  I feel like I need to put whatever it is I'm holding down after 30 seconds.  Thanks.

[littleomelette]

Thank you for replying.  

I don't do any drugs, and haven't had a loss of appetite.  I have been through quite a stressful period since June.  I just want to know if it is possible for anxiety and stress to manifest itself phsically in this way?

I am seeing a chiropractor too at the moment who seems to think that I have deep muscle fatigue which (she believes) is also contributing to the shaking from my neck and shoulders right through to my arms and hands.

I am also in the process of buying my first house, so I have a feeling that may also be contributing hugely.  I am for the time being cutting right back on caffine too!

It's good to know that other people have been through such times and can share any advice.  Thanks for listening :-)

[Lightwise]

Hi, the list of how anxiety can manifest physically is huge. There are lists online that mention shakiness and tremors as possibilities of manifestations. I myself have dealt with many symptoms and am still trying to rule out physical causes. The tendency you'll notice by reading this message board, is to automatically feel there must be a physical root cause to physical symptoms. I spoke to a psychiatrist friend recently who told me he has "seen it all" when it comes to anxiety symptoms. Good luck and GOD bless you and I hope you get better and are able to enjoy life. I mean that sincerely.

[tanns]

I have had this shaky, vibrating(visually), fluttering thing that is happening in my chest.  All but one of the times it has happened, my right hand has twitched too.  I haven't seen the neuro yet but surely I'll be there soon.  

Anxiety(if that is what this all is!!!) is the PITS!!!

Good luck to you.

[littleomelette]

Thank you all for your kind words.

I think we all react to anxiety at some time, it's just a bummer when it affects our lives.

I wish you all good luck and a happy healthy life :-)

[bird33]

Yes - absolutely. I was at my worst about a year ago thinking I had the worst disease ever. I remember holding my hands out and watching them shake. I would continually show this to my wife - I almost made her crazy! I vividly remember one day I was doing yard work with a weed whacker and holding it in my right hand for a long time. When I finished I got a drink of water. My hand was shaking so bad that the water was spiling out of the cup. To make a long story short I have overcome my anxiety and no longer shake or twitch (had those too). The key is to ignore these signals and they will slowly subside. Easier said than done but you will find your way!

[littleomelette]

That is so true.  After speaking to quite a few people, and stopping diagnosing myself on the internet, my symptoms seem to be SLOWLY subsiding.  Hopefully I will feel NORMAL again soon.  Good luck to you x

[suzi-q]

How did you overcome your anxiety?  suggestions please!

[littleomelette]

I think it is really difficult to accept that anxiety is all you have.  

I have tried doing small things, like when I'm feeling stressed out, I close my eyes and count to ten slowly to try and clear my head and slow my breathing down. These seem to be starting to work for me.  I am trying to think positive and believe that I can overcome this, and since I have been thinking positive, my symptoms have calmed down.  I have also tried to cut out as much caffine as I can, so little tea/coffee/fizzy drinks and chocolate (bummer).

I do think it takes time, but I do believe you will be able to work through it.  It seems like you are the only person going through it at the time, and by telling friends and family, they can help keep your mood up and support you.  I really think it's hard do it on your own.  Try to find a good friend to lean on.

Good luck to you, and Merry Christmas :-)

[SWJavelina]

Put me down on the list of people who have hand tremors due to anxiety.  I'm a teacher, and I remember one of my students even commenting on my shaky hands.  :-/

SWJ

[lax11]

i also went through some serious trauma over the summer.  after the events i started to have panic attacks.  i have learned to control these to a certain point because i understand them now.  i have developed anxiety since these attacks and worry about my health constantly.  my hands have started shaking just like littleomellete mentioned and i notice my heartbeat and the blood pumping through my upper body.  i worry that i have a terrible disease due to the shaking.  i never shake when i m laying down or sleeping though.  i thought i was the only one going through this.  did anyone here see a psychologist/therapist for these problems or take any medications.  i m a 23 year old male who just finished playing four years of college lacrosse and would like to steer clear of taking anything.  my physical health is perfect and i m in great shape.  please post back..

matt

[cuddles1121]

I am going through the same thing, I have panic and anxiety disorder, and just the past 2 months I have noticed the shaky hands, I went to the dr, and she ran all kinds of blood tests, and to the chiropractor, and now they are going to send me to a neurologist, meanwhile my doctor still thinks it is my anxiety acting up. I was good for a long time, no all of a sudden my hands are shaky. She put me on clonezpam when I get really shaky and this seems to work, but I want to be able to learn how to deal with it, not constantly be drugged up. Any suggestions or websites would be helpful.

[lavenderlady4556]

I have been noticing that my hands shake too. This has caused me to over react. I keep thinking its hypoglycemia (even though I had test done in april and may for it and my sugar was fine... And Im eating better than I EVER have!) But isnt that how this works? You latch onto that one fear and it keeps building on it. Anyways, I keep telling myself that its just the anxiety and that helps! I know its just the body being on high alert for so long that its getting tired.

[braine]

i'm a nursing student.. my hands trembles whenever i am pressured and nervous .. how can i overcome this,, especially that we are going to have our clinical duty next month..i am worried...

your advices would be a great help..thanks..

[Thaddeus]

I'm so glad that I found this site. As I was reading through the posts I could relate to almost all of them. I get shaky hands and find myself over analysing my self. I also get heart palpatations some chest pain and tingling in my hands and feet. ( I've had a blood test for a heart attack and I can definitely rule that out :P )
And yes, just a small distracting thought sometimes snowballs and starts to get you feeling all anxious again.

I'm also off the caffeine. I've had it for about a month now and am learning to live with it but am hopeful that it will go away some time soon.

And yes, the more you speak about it to friends and family the better you feel about it.

Hope this helps somebody feel a little better :)

[findsomething]

I understand completely. I have been on numerous meds and they try to give my xanax too, but I wont take it because my family history of drug abuse. I get so overwhelmed sometimes and it seems like when I am in a calm state, all the tics and palpitations start. I will be holding a cup of coffee and suddenly my hand or arm will jerk or seem to just stop working and I end up wearing the coffee. Its a strange thing to feel like your not in control of your own body. I like to think its almost the equivalent of your muscles being drained after an intense workout. When you are all wound up, your muscles feel it to and when the calm comes on, they are just trying to calm too. Good Luck to you and you will be ok.

[Summer123]

Hi,
I've got bad hand shaking.  I wasn't quite sure whether it is from the anxiety or because I was taking paxil too.  I guess I seemed to have noticed it while on the paxil, but I think it may just be due to overall anxiety.  I can really relate to spilling a lot of coffee.

[waylander]

hey waylander here.i am go to type something out of a book that i have for ya! Sweating,Trembling hands

now look at yor hands. they sweat? maybe tremble?maybe the skin is sore and tingles and tingles with "pins and needles"? but the hands of any tense,frightened person may feel like that,and you are certainly frightened,so how could your hands behave otherwise?the sweating,trembling, "pin and needles"and soreness are no more than the physical expression of oversensitization of your adrenalin releasing nerves through anxiety and fear.these sensations get no worse than this and could never prevent you using your hands.maybe your hands do sweat and tremble, but they are still good hands to use.Therefore,accept the sweating,trembling,soreness and tingling for the time being..these cannot be cured overnight.with acceptance, although your hands may still tremble and sweat for a while,you will find some peace,enough to begin to still the outflow of adrenalin,so that your sweat glands will gradually calm down.in place of fear adrenalin sweat,you put acceptance,less adrenalin-less sweat; and finally you have peace-no excess adrenalin-no excess sweat.it is as simple as that although acceptance may not seem so simple at first........from SELF HELP FOR YOUR NERVES by Dr Claire Weekes..

[Stosh]

I have the shaking hands/arms and sense of muscle fatigue expressed by littleomellette and a few others.  A few years ago, I was diagnosed with a familial tremor. This conclusion was partially drawn from the fact that my father had the same problem as well, although his developed much later in life (his in his 60s, mine in my 30s).  A neurologist said that It is not uncommon for it to begin earlier in age as it is passed on through the generations.  Fortunately,  a Familial Tremor (also check out Essential Tremors) tends to not have serious complications.  It is not a precursor of Parkinson's Disease, which was my greatest worry.   Whether a tremor is physical or psychological, anxiety, fatigue, tiredness, hunger, and stress can all exacerbate this condition, so it's easy to get caught up in a frustrating cycle of worry and shaking.  Stress reduction, getting enough sleep, and eating regularly seems to help.  I have also tried clonezapam, which helped but made me sleepy.

I guess I just wanted to point out that tremors can have a physical basis too.  You don't have to have a psychological issue if you experience these symptoms, but regardless of the cause, stress reduction seems key to helping ones condition.

[On_edge]

I have also gone through a tremendous amount of stress within the past 7 months.  I have found that my body cannot relax.  My muscles are tense, my shoulders rise to my ear lobes, I fall asleep sitting up because my body is worn out and when I wake to go to bed, I cannot sleep.  My mind races.  I have had anxiety disorder in the past and got through it for 15 years and now it is back.  I am like all of you who fear the worst possible scenario.  The difference this time is not the hands shaking, but my head and then sometimes jerking motions that happen with my head.  I am so self conscience about this I don't want to be in public.  I hope someone out there can tell me they have also gone through the head shaking and they were told it was anxiety manifesting itself in this way.  I would SO APPRECIATE someone posting to this.

[skalamanga]

yes..anxiety can cause hand tremors. iv been on zoloft for 2 months and i still get hand tremors when im in a fearful situation.

[barfer]

I hope you read the post  from Stosh just before yours on this question.  An Essential tremor can effect hands, legs, voice, head, just about every part of the body.  It is more of an annoyance than anything, you will not die from it.  What I do want to add, is that mine became VERY pronounced when on Paxil and the neurologist immediately took me off it and on to something else.  He was definitely not a fan of SSRIs because of the tremor it can create even in people who are not predisposed to it.  Talk with your doctor about what you have experienced and then you can go from there as to what would be the best treatment.  There are beta blockers that are used for essential tremor and also are supposed to help with anxiety as an added bonus.  Unfortunately they don't work for me but they have been very successful for most people.  Next week, I'm trying clonazapam to address the anxiety and hopefully, the tremor will improve if for no other reason than I'm less anxious.  Good luck and I hope I've been of some help.    

[dixiedarlin1017]

I can relate to all that you said. I have had a bad problem with the tremors as well and my head jerks backwards sometimes.  It is very annoying and aggrivating. My neurologist told me that I had the first stage (onset) of parkinsons. That really got my attention. I have to take Primidone for it and it does help some, but  not enough. Just like today, I have had trouble just holding a cup of tea. The dexterity in my hands just gives  out. Typing this is killing me as well. Its llike the messages from my brain just doesnt reach my hands and arms. I do have alot of muscle weakness and innability to do normal things. My speach slurs for no reason and my walking gait changes. I  pull to the right and dont even realize it till im almost dizzy.Its very embarrassing and I sure wish that there was a cure or atleast an answer for the tremors. I have had reoccuring bouts of pneumonia and everytime I get sick like that ,, omg those tremmors get soo much worse. I was in the hospital last week and saw another neurologist, He said that he didnt think it was parkinsons (oh what a relief), but didnt know what was causing all the shaking and jerking.I am researching it and if i find an answer, I will post it on here.
Good talking to you all,
Donna

[barfer]

Look up Essential Tremor.  Primidone is often used for that.  See if your syptoms match the profile for essential tremor.