Tremors

[Deb 27]

So, I would like to know if I should be worried about the tremors that I get? They come and go. I told the ARNP at my last visit a few weeks ago and she never addressed it. I suspect the tremors might be from the prozac but I  am not sure if I should just forget about this or        go to the doctor until it gets addressed?  I could make an appt with a Neurologist but the tremors come and go. Any suggestions for me?

[Carolina]

Dear Deb,

Tremors can be a side effect of most antidepressants, including Prozac.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15177061

You might ask to try another antidepressant if the tremors bother you.

I had myoclonus (jerking of the left side of my body) and syncope (sudden collapse to the ground) from Cymbalta after six years with no problems.  So I am working to find an antidepressant that doesn't have such difficult side effects.

I take antidepressants because they help with the pain from my arthritis.

Keep us posted.

Regards,  Elaine

[araminta]

Although I haven't been diagnosed with Sjogrens I have countless symptoms which lead me to think I have it.

When these symptoms got going in early 2015 I started getting tremors lasting a short while when I went to bed at night, also sometimes when I woke up, and occasionally at other times when I was stressed.   They come and go a bit and are worse when I'm stressed - for instance after getting back from a holiday this summer, ha ha!

I'm not on any medication which could be causing this - I think, for me at least, it's all part of the weird syndrome.

[Scooby7]

Go see a Neurologist.  I have tremors that come and go, usually depending on how physically active or stressed I am.  Non essential tremor was my diagnosis. 

[Judie P]

Deb, I have had essential tremors for about 8 years now.  However, I only get them when I am holding something.  I can only tell you that I saw a neurologist three years ago because I was afraid that I had Parkinson's or MS.  They diagnosed me with non essential tremors.  I was once on Prozac because the doctors did not believe I had a health issue and I found the tremors got worse.  Since I was finally diagnosed with Primary Sjogrens three years ago (by a nurse practitioner and a SS-A of +8), she took me immediately off of prozac and put me on Effexor, which I have been on ever since.  I does help with the fibromyalgia pain and takes the edge off of the anxiety, but it does still cause tremors.  I don't know of an antidepressant that does not cause tremors.

I found out something very interesting, however, just about a month ago.  I finally had some really severe pain going down my arm and an MRI showed that I have multi-level arthritis, degenerative disc disease, and central stenosis in my C5, C6, and C7.  When C7 is in trouble, it can cause tremors along with muscle weakness.  I can get muscle tweeks and tightness if my neck is inflammed.  Inflammation, as you know, is a common problem in Sjogren's.

It is possible, as my doctor stated to me, that my neck problems are causing the tremors when I hold something.  I hope this helps.

Judie P. (smama)