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How To Combat A Tremor


The Royal Pen

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Hello everyone, it's been a while since I've been able to post... life goes on, in endless song!

 

Recently I have been taking a mild medication for anxiety, which has the side effect of an ever so slight tremor in my hand. I'm looking for any advice as to how I can fight this in my writing, because recently my handwriting has been that, I reckon, of an educated hen. Once I could handwrite quite freely and nicely, having been taught by my grandmother from a young age.

 

What exercises can I do to combat this? I have a variety of pens in different sizes, so ought I switch to a larger hold than my workhorse Pelikan m100? I am also left handed, if it makes any difference.

 

Thank you in an advance for all replies I might not be able to reply to directly!

Edited by The Royal Pen
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I don't have any good news for you. Four years ago I woke up one morning and couldn't write. I bought a book from Amazon called "Improve Your Handwriting" which has very simple exercises. It worked for a while and then I lost it again. From what I understand there are two types of tremors. One is from Parkinson's Disease (which I've got), and the other is just plain tremors (which I also have). I keep doing the exercises and write every day and my writing can be legible, but not what I want. Both my tremors can be controlled by medication. The medication helps but it's not perfect. I would suggest you talk to a doctor about this; preferably a neurologist.

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I don't know if this may help you.

About five years ago I started to have the occasional tremor in my writing hand (right for me, though born as a leftie). My pen would glide smoothly for a few words then would make involuntary flourishes, mainly in the up or down strokes of the pen.

I could write "undisturbed" for weeks, then for seemingly no reason, the tremor would strike again. It's only by pressing much harder than usual & by slowing down to almost a "drawing my letters" speed that I can write a few legible lines. My hand writing has been limited to very short journal entries, brief notes & the occasional cheque. No more long letters written to friends or family.

I have good days & bad days. On the good days a fairly stiff, wide, italic type nib (stub & CI) can help to stabilize my writing. (Fortunately all my nibs are of this kind.) On my bad days nothing seems to help.

I have lost some of my enthusiasm for fountain pens & for writing with them. Perhaps because I'm afraid of what may be found out, I have not pursued a medical enquiry. At least not yet.

Could it be just old age creeping in?

Edited by tinta

*Sailor 1911S, Black/gold, 14k. 0.8 mm. stub(JM) *1911S blue "Colours", 14k. H-B "M" BLS (PB)

*2 Sailor 1911S Burgundy/gold: 14k. 0.6 mm. "round-nosed" CI (MM) & 14k. 1.1 mm. CI (JM)

*Sailor Pro-Gear Slim Spec. Ed. "Fire",14k. (factory) "H-B"

*Kaweco SPECIAL FP: 14k. "B",-0.6 mm BLS & 14k."M" 0.4 mm. BLS (PB)

*Kaweco Stainless Steel Lilliput, 14k. "M" -0.7 mm.BLS, (PB)

 

 

 

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I don't have any good news for you. Four years ago I woke up one morning and couldn't write. I bought a book from Amazon called "Improve Your Handwriting" which has very simple exercises. It worked for a while and then I lost it again. From what I understand there are two types of tremors. One is from Parkinson's Disease (which I've got), and the other is just plain tremors (which I also have). I keep doing the exercises and write every day and my writing can be legible, but not what I want. Both my tremors can be controlled by medication. The medication helps but it's not perfect. I would suggest you talk to a doctor about this; preferably a neurologist.

I was to see the neurologist before, and I was tested for an early onset of Parkinsons, and thankfully I was cleared. The doctor did tell me though that a tremor is a side affect of what I'm on.

 

I don't know if this may help you.

About five years ago I started to have the occasional tremor in my writing hand (right for me, though born as a leftie). My pen would glide smoothly for a few words then would make involuntary flourishes, mainly in the up or down strokes of the pen.

I could write "undisturbed" for weeks, then for seemingly no reason, the tremor would strike again. It's only by pressing much harder than usual & by slowing down to almost a "drawing my letters" speed that I can write a few legible lines. My hand writing has been limited to very short journal entries, brief notes & the occasional cheque. No more long letters written to friends or family.

I have good days & bad days. On the good days a fairly stiff, wide, italic type nib (stub & CI) can help to stabilize my writing. (Fortunately all my nibs are of this kind.) On my bad days nothing seems to help.

I have lost some of my enthusiasm for fountain pens & for writing with them. Perhaps because I'm afraid of what may be found out, I have not pursued a medical enquiry. At least not yet.

Could it be just old age creeping in?

I'll give the wide and stub nibs a change. I far too young for 'old age' to set in (if there's such a thing), I'm only in my twenties.

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I have a few suggestions for your consideration.

1) I’m not sure which medication you’re taking, but if it is one of the SSRI medications (Zoloft, Prozac, Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil or their generic equivalents), you might ask your physician if you could try one of the others. All the meds in this group can help with anxiety and cause tremors, but one or the other might be more or less likely to do it for you.

 

2) Patients with a diagnosis of Essential Tremor (not caused by Parkinson’s Dz. or by medication) can help compensate for the tremor by using heavier utensils, implements, and tools. This might also work for medication induced tremors. You could try using heavier pens and see if that helps. Before spending the money on a new, heavier pen, see if you have any difficulty picking up peas with a regular fork. If your tremor makes this difficult, try doing it with a fork made of silver(sterling, not plated-you need the weight-if you don’t have this maybe a friend or relative does). If that makes it better, then a heavier pen,I gut help in writing. If heavier objects are easier to use, you might consider buying a couple of cheap pens, and sacrifice one of them to put melted lead or lead tape in the cap, then dedicate that cap just for posting when writing.

I hope this is of some help.

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I am not a physician.

I would encourage you to use extreme caution with any/all SSRI medication. They can be harmfuI. Been there done that. I suggest you try a no cost, no risk method. Meditation. Meditation will treat the cause not just the symptoms, and has no negative side effect

 

Start with a simple breathing meditation twice a day. Do this every day for a month. If it doesn't work go back to pharmaceuticals if you find them more effective. Happy to give you simple, easy to follow diretion. PM me if you wish.

Add lightness and simplicate.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

I have days where I have tremors and difficulty in writing. Mostly, the tremors are a side effect of some of the meds that I take. One thing that worked well for me was changing when I took the meds. With my doctor's blessing, I started taking the affecting drugs at bedtime instead of in the morning. During the day, I seemed to be less shaky. Please consult your doctor before making changes.

 

The other change I made on days when I was to write letters, where I wanted my best penmanship, was to use a heavier and bulkier pen. I have large hands and the size of the pen does make a difference. I always post my pens so that there is a bit more balance than unposted.

 

Lastly, I take frequent breaks while writing. My hand seems to get more fatigued these days, so I multitask to break things up.

 

Best wishes!

 

Craig

A consumer and purveyor of words.

 

Co-editor and writer for Faith On Every Corner Magazine

Magazine - http://www.faithoneverycorner.com/magazine.html

 

 

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You have gotten some good advice already, but I will endorse the pieces that seem best to me. (I am a physician, but not a neurologist.)

 

1. Work with the prescribing doctor. Seek dose adjustments or alternative medications, assuming you need them at all.

2. Current research, as I understand it, finds that the optimal treatment of anxiety is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (usually managed by a clinical psychologist), with medication if needed. The CBT may be sufficient.

3. Don't go down the rabbit hole of taking additional medications to treat the side effects of the first one, unless absolutely necessary.

4. If you cannot avoid the tremor through adjusting, changing or discontinuing medication, consider the advice about using a heavier pen. It is sound. If this looks to be a longer term issue, ask your doctor for a referral to an Occupational Therapist to guide and monitor you. They have experience and expertise beyond that of your physicians with this sort of problem.

 

Best of luck!

 

David

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  • 4 months later...

I have a few suggestions for your consideration.

1) I’m not sure which medication you’re taking, but if it is one of the SSRI medications (Zoloft, Prozac, Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil or their generic equivalents), you might ask your physician if you could try one of the others. All the meds in this group can help with anxiety and cause tremors, but one or the other might be more or less likely to do it for you.

 

2) Patients with a diagnosis of Essential Tremor (not caused by Parkinson’s Dz. or by medication) can help compensate for the tremor by using heavier utensils, implements, and tools. This might also work for medication induced tremors. You could try using heavier pens and see if that helps. Before spending the money on a new, heavier pen, see if you have any difficulty picking up peas with a regular fork. If your tremor makes this difficult, try doing it with a fork made of silver(sterling, not plated-you need the weight-if you don’t have this maybe a friend or relative does). If that makes it better, then a heavier pen,I gut help in writing. If heavier objects are easier to use, you might consider buying a couple of cheap pens, and sacrifice one of them to put melted lead or lead tape in the cap, then dedicate that cap just for posting when writing.

I hope this is of some help.

 

At LAST!!!! 22 years ago I was diagnosed with having Young Onset Parkinson's Disease because I responded positively to Carbadopa Levadopa, did NOT respond positively to alcohol, had trouble with my balance, and Oh yeah had severe tremors. 22 years later the VA is not sure if I have Parkinson's or not and *think* it is Essential Tremor... only problem is I have been tried on a number of drugs to treat my Epilepsy, that would also also treat ET, and I did NOT respond positively to them. Whatever I have it is very similar to Parkinson's and responds to Carbadopa Levadopa, and 4 times a day I go through the Parkinson's "Sine Wave" of the ON Cycle / OFF Cycle -- you just need to look at any given handwriting sample to know where I am in the cycle.

 

As to Pens and Parkinson's. Whatever I have (We'll call it Parkinson's since it is very similar to, and responds to Carbadopa Levadopa 25/100 treatment) has gotten worse over the years and so has my handwriting. Thankfully most of the writing I do now adays is on a computer, and I have adopted by using a HEAVY an Original IBM Model "M" 101 key Keyboard. But when I do have to actually WRITE something, the choice of pen DOES make a difference. I have made some "interesting" discoveries, some by accident. For one thing I have the most trouble with the many CHEAP BIC-like ballpoints that are so common in today's life. Strangely I have lessor trouble with either a "rollerball" (or at least that is what I think they are, but not sure), or a QUALITY (read EXPENSIVE) ballpoint. I have been experimenting with Fountain Pens off and on for the past 22 years -- I grew up using them in grade school, high school, and college, so they are nothing new to me. For *me* Fountain Pens are far SMOOTHER to use than a CHEAP BIC-like Ballpoint. That said I recently discovered that nib size also plays a roll. 22 years ago I could use a FINE nib, today, unless the nib is super ground I find I can no longer use a Fine but now find a MEDIUM on up a better fit. I would advise against using a CHEAP fountain pen, a MEDIUM priced Fountain Pen that costs between ~ $50-$100 is usually a QUALITY pen. If you don't want to spend a ton on money and don't mind going "Old School" buy yourself a Parker 45 on Ebay just make sure it has a MEDIUM nib.

 

If you want a NEW Fountain Pen, I just bought a Conklin Duragraph with a MEDIUM nib for $52 from Goulet Pens. My research (and I did a lot of it) showed that many, many people REALLY like this pen. The biggest complaint I read was IF you post the cap on the back (as I do) it becomes "back heavy", which in my case might work to my advantage as I tend to press down harder than I use to (which may explain why Fine nibs and I no longer get along). The extra back weight *may* offset my propensity of pressing down.

 

Ink choice also plays a role. Pick one that goes down WET. 22 years ago I discovered Private Reserve Ink, many, but not all, of their inks go down WET. *My* color was something called "Blue Suede".

 

Another property of ink is something called "lubrication" ( you'll have to ask some ink nerd to explain it) but that too supposedly affects the writability of the pen. If you decide to go in for the Conklin Duragraph Goulet Pen threw in a 90 mL bottle of Monteverde Ink, many of which are lubricated inks.

 

Now for the GOOD News / BAD News. If you have a disease such as Parkinson's it can be controlled by medication (GOOD News), the BAD News is most people go through a ON/OFF cycle. When you are OFF there nothing that will fix your writing, but as you move into an ON phase the use of heavier things will make your life a lot easier. Will this hold true for PENS?!? No idea but I should know more within a week's time.

 

If your tremor is a side effect of a medication you are on, check with your doctor to see if they can get you on th lowest most effective dose possible, and that should help with your tremors.

 

Final thought: I use to be a prolific writer -- I have a friend that I have known for 38 years yet, in all that time, I've only seen her 4 times. The last time was 26 years ago. Our entire relationship has been held together through the WRITTEN word. Indeed I coined the term "ink blood" to describe it. In 1980 stamps were 14 cents. When I was diagnosed with Parkinson's 22 years ago and was having trouble writing letters, our correspondence fell off, but then came the INTERNET, and once again I am writing her several times each month, but this time they are sent through the ether, rather than the USPS (...and saves a stamp). A tremor of any sort should not deter you from writing. Today I could not write a letter ofr several pages, but I still send out notes, etc. For those I prefer to use a Fountain Pen because I have better control than a cheap ballpoint, but sadly I still use a cheap ballpoint when I have to sign checks etc. The other trick is to time it so that I am at or near my maximum "ON" period, not when I am near my "OFF" period.

 

Hope this helps. From someone who has been there, and done that.

Edited by azbobcat
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You have gotten some good advice already, but I will endorse the pieces that seem best to me. (I am a physician, but not a neurologist.)

 

1. Work with the prescribing doctor. Seek dose adjustments or alternative medications, assuming you need them at all.

2. Current research, as I understand it, finds that the optimal treatment of anxiety is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (usually managed by a clinical psychologist), with medication if needed. The CBT may be sufficient.

3. Don't go down the rabbit hole of taking additional medications to treat the side effects of the first one, unless absolutely necessary.

4. If you cannot avoid the tremor through adjusting, changing or discontinuing medication, consider the advice about using a heavier pen. It is sound. If this looks to be a longer term issue, ask your doctor for a referral to an Occupational Therapist to guide and monitor you. They have experience and expertise beyond that of your physicians with this sort of problem.

 

Best of luck!

 

David

 

Damn, why couldn't I have met 22 years ago?? Trial and Error sucks!!! Thank you for your post!

Edited by azbobcat
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You could try using heavier pens and see if that helps.

Hmmmmm....absorbing the tremor.....that made me think. You might try going to your local big box hardware store and find a pair of tight fitting work gloves that have no finger tips and see if working against that extra resistance helps.

 

Otherwise, ask your doctor to change the meds.

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I am not a physician.

I would encourage you to use extreme caution with any/all SSRI medication. They can be harmfuI. Been there done that. I suggest you try a no cost, no risk method. Meditation. Meditation will treat the cause not just the symptoms, and has no negative side effect

 

Start with a simple breathing meditation twice a day. Do this every day for a month. If it doesn't work go back to pharmaceuticals if you find them more effective. Happy to give you simple, easy to follow diretion. PM me if you wish.

 

As someone with experience with both, I absolutely second this. Medications for depression/anxiety in the past caused me a lot of long-lasting side-effects and I vowed 13 years ago to never use them again. I'm a Buddhist, and meditation is an integral part of Buddhist practice. Given that, I think a combination of meditation and Buddhist philosophy has been a huge help in dealing with depression and anxiety.

 

As far as tremors go, my hands are pretty steady, but I have an intermittent dystonic tremor in my neck which has developed slowly over the last few years. It's probably secondary to nerve compression in and around my neck vertebrae and the thoracic outlet (where a bundle of nerves and arteries and various other gooey bits runs from the neck down to your arm). I've been doing some physiotherapy to target the surrounding muscles which seems to be helping with the tremor.

 

At any rate, neck and shoulder problems have really hurt my ability to write for more than about 30 minutes at a time. I'm too young to be having these problems! :crybaby:

 

 

P.S.: karmachanic - I love the name! :P

Edited by ElinMS
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