Tremor must be identified

August 24, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My hands shake when I’m trying to use them but are still when in my lap. I am a 74-year-old male and have had this condition all my life, but it is getting worse as I age.

DEAR READER: Because you indicate the condition is long-standing and you fail to report other symptoms, I believe you have an action-postural tremor, the most common of which is benign essential tremor. This condition is a disorder of the nervous system that can affect almost any part of the body, but it occurs most often with involuntary shaking of the hands when a person attempts to perform simple tasks. It can also affect the arms, head and voice.
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Sickly son worries mother

March 12, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My son is 60-plus years old and has been reasonably healthy. He has been hospitalized a couple of times for pneumonia. Unfortunately, he still smokes.

Over the past few years, he has developed a visible constant shaking of his body, particularly noticeable in his arms and hands, even when he is eating. He is married and has no children. Seeing him during the holidays, my husband (his stepdad) and I were shocked at his appearance. He has always been a handsome man. Now, apart from the frightening, continuous shaking, he has a sick, unhealthy color, with his face blotchy and gray. His eyes are rather sullen and baglike. He coughs occasionally, sometimes almost choking.
When asked, his wife said he has been to the doctor, had a few preliminary tests and is fine. “They could find nothing wrong with him.”
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When the meds stop working

August 29, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: A neurosurgeon told me that I have a genetic familial tremor. He prescribed Mysoline, 50 milligrams four times a day. Well, either I have become immune to it or it just doesn’t work. Your thoughts, please.

DEAR READER: Familial refers to a hereditary disease or disorder seen in some families and not in others — thus, your genetic tremor. Essential tremor affects millions of people across the United States. It is a disorder of the nervous system that causes involuntary tremor or shaking, primarily seen in the hands, head and eyelids but never the feet or legs. Other signs and symptoms are generally not observed when a person is asleep. It differs from other disorders such as Parkinson’s or disorders that are the result of head trauma.
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