Alcohol Tremors: Why They Should Not Be Ignored

Withdrawal symptoms can occur the morning after drinking, but shaking is most likely to occur when someone who drinks heavily stops using alcohol. Benzodiazepines are the treatment of choice in addressing symptoms due to alcohol withdrawal. Long-acting drugs in this category are usually preferred, and the dose is tapered over the least possible duration, so as to prevent the development of drug dependence and to produce maximum benefit.

Frequent and excessive alcohol use can also cause damage to the cerebellum, an area located near the top of the brain stem that controls balance, coordination and fine motor movement. Alcoholism can also lead to liver disease, which, in its advanced stages, can cause a characteristic flapping or shaking of the hands known as asterixis. For many people, essential tremor can have serious social and psychological consequences. If the effects of essential tremor make it difficult to live your life as fully as you once did, consider joining a support group. Physical therapists can teach you exercises to improve your muscle strength, control and coordination.

What causes essential tremor, and is there anything that triggers it?

We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your alcohol and essential tremor physician or other qualified healthcare providers. For people with essential tremor, treatment can be a frustrating and long road when it comes to finding what works best to treat their symptoms. For people with very mild symptoms, drug treatment is usually not an option.

However, when a long-term drinker suddenly quits drinking, the brain continues to function as if it were still exposed to alcohol. In this accelerated state, a person will begin to feel the symptoms of withdrawal, including tremors, anxiety, sweating, an elevated heart rate, and nausea and vomiting. Some people can develop a severe form of alcohol withdrawal known as delirium tremens, or DTs, that can cause a severe shaking or shivering.

How Does Alcohol Affect Essential Tremor?

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms usually peak within one to two days and usually abate within four days, although some people develop protracted alcohol withdrawal syndrome that can persist up to a year. Uncontrolled shaking of the hands or other parts of the body is common among those suffering from an alcohol addiction. Most of the time, an individual with a drinking problem who shakes is exhibiting signs of alcohol withdrawal, but there are other reasons why an alcoholic might shake. Tremors are involuntary muscle contractions that can cause shaking and make it difficult to perform activities such as writing or holding a glass. People with alcohol tremors may also have problems with balance and coordination. Uncontrollable shaking, usually in the hands, is a common sign of alcohol withdrawal.

Medicines called benzodiazepines can lessen alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Commonly used medicines in this group include chlordiazepoxide (Librium) and lorazepam (Ativan). If you have severe vomiting, seizures or delirium tremens, the safest place for you to be treated is in a hospital. For delirium tremens, treatment in an intensive care unit (ICU) is often required. In an ICU, your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing can be monitored closely in case emergency life-support (such as artificial breathing by a machine) is needed. If you have a sibling or parent with alcoholism, then you are three or four times more likely than average to develop alcoholism.

Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances. Alcohol has a slowing effect (also called a sedating effect or depressant effect) on the brain. In a heavy, long-term drinker, the brain is almost continually exposed to the depressant effect of alcohol.

This is responsible for the appearance of symptoms and signs identified with alcohol withdrawal, such as tachycardia, tremors, and even seizures or delirium tremens. After drinking, you may see improvement in your tremor within about 15 minutes. The fact that ET often gets better after you drink alcohol can be useful if your doctor is trying to find out what type of tremor you have. If your ET improves after drinking alcohol, the effect may last anywhere from one hour to four hours. Most alcohol abusers who are having withdrawal symptoms have a shortage of several vitamins and minerals and can benefit from nutritional supplements. In particular, alcohol abuse can create a shortage of folate, thiamine, magnesium, zinc and phosphate.

Alcohol treatment programs are important because they improve your chances of successfully staying off of alcohol. Only about 20 percent of alcoholics are able to abstain from alcohol permanently without the help of formal treatment or self-help programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Of people who attend AA, 44 percent of those who remain free of alcohol for 1 year probably will remain abstinent for another year. This figure increases to 91% for those who have remained abstinent and have attended AA for 5 years or more. Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal typically improve within five days, though a small number of patients may have prolonged symptoms, lasting weeks. Also referred to as “liver flap” this alcohol tremor can often be witnessed when the person’s hands and wrists are extended outward as another person pushes back on their hands.

The spiral on the left was drawn by someone affected by essential tremor. The spiral on the right was drawn by a person not affected by essential https://ecosoberhouse.com/boston-sober-house-dorchester/ tremor. Doctors most commonly prescribe propranolol or primidone, although 30–50% of people report having no benefit from these drugs.