This is not a request for medical advice, as I am not trying to cure a case of shaky hands, I’m just wondering what some of the possible causes might be, 'cause I’m curious. My brother-in-law, who is in his late 30s, has constantly shaking hands. They always tremble slightly. I asked him if he knew what caused it and he shrugged and said no, it’s been like that for a long time. He smokes, and used to drink quite a bit although recently quit (no change in overall hand shakiness that I’ve noticed with regards to the drinking, though). Has a pretty physical job. I don’t know if any of that plays a role but figured I’d mention it. Anyone have theories?
Antidepressants like Zoloft can cause hand tremors.
Google turned up this site. Seems like it could be a number of things.
I am not a doctor and this is not a diagnosis, etc. Information provided because you were curious, and you’da found it sooner or later yourself by googling. 
I get hand tremors because I’m on immune suppressant medication.
A cousin of mine has trembling hands and for years would not see a doctor. It turned out to be Parkinson’s as suggested by this site. Because of waiting so long, his options for treatment were significantly reduced. He needs to see a doc soon.
As long as were talking theories, and not medical advise…
High caffeine intake
Nervousness
Panic attack
Lied about quitting drinking (withdrawal)
Parkinson’s
To add another possibility, I’d say maybe his thyroid. If he’s hyperthyroid, it can cause shaking.
I’m not a Dr., this isn’t medical advice. etc.
The key is whether his hands shake while at rest or while in use.
If it’s Parkinson’s, his hands will shake while they’re at rest. If his hands only shake when they’re in use, it’s probably familial or essential tremor.
I’ve learned that from reading Dr. Paul Donohue’s newspaper column: http://www.kingfeatures.com/features/columns/goodhealth/bioMaina.htm
Here’s information on familial tremor: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000763.htm
The tremor could also be induced by medication or other illness, but I believe Parkinson’s and essential tremor are the most common.
Powers &8^]
Idiopathic familial tremor. My grandmother had it, my father had it, I had it and it looks like one of my kids has it.
I notice hand tremor related to ‘I think’ hypoglycemia, at least it goes away if I eat or drink anything after noticing it. Slightly more info on this page http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/sym/tremor_symptoms.htm
I used to tend bar at a place that illegally opened a couple hours earlier than was allowed. Anyway, there was this one Wall Streeter who came in every day at 7:20AM who had a bad case of the shakes. His morning ritual was quite intriguing.
He’d order a double JW Black, untie his $50 necktie, push up the right sleeve on his custom tailored Italian suit, tie the thin end of the necktie around his quivering right wrist, drape the necktie over the back of his neck, grab the shotglass off the bar, and guide his hand to his mouth by pulling the necktie with his left hand.
By the time he downed his scotch, the shakes stopped and the necktie went back on (with, if I recall correctly, a single windsor knot). The first time I saw him do it, I thought it was schtick - but each day that passed confirmed the fact it wasn’t. I never did get around to asking him why he didn’t juice up at home - probably because that $10 tip he left each day before jumping on the train came in quite handy.
If I wait too long between meals I start to shake, first my hands then the rest of me. I have had my blood sugar checked by a glucose meter and it is within the proper range.
Luckily for me, my eating habits tend to not allow this to happen too often
Lithium as well.
Blah, hit Reply instead of Preview. Should read:
Bipolar drugs like lithium can also cause a slight tremor of the hand. But most likely in this case it was the drinking. He have the drinkers nose?
I have this problem. (Hence my screen name)
I’m 35yo old and doctors STILL don’t have a freak’n clue as to what it is. I mean, as far as I can tell, they don’t even have a name for my condition.
The closest they’ve come, is calling my episodes “essential tremmors.” It seems to run in the family on the mens side though because my uncle has it as well.
What sucks is it’s getting progressively worse as I get older.
I’ll admit part of it is because of anxiety but I think that’s just a side effect of the condition itself.
It really sucks anymore. I’m now at the point if I’m know I’m going to go somewhere public,where there are going to be lots of people I HAVE to down a few stiff drinks, just so I can be normal again.
The best analysis I could give you is it’s like I’m allergic to my own adrenaline. Just the slightest dose willl set my hands a shake’n like nobodies business.
Intention tremors (shakes when you move, but not at rest) are also a classical sign of cerebellar (brain stem) disease, which can be cause by lots of things, including tumours, stroke and alcohol.
Using heavy vibrating machinery e.g. jackhammers, for long periods of time can also sometimes cause tremors.
If it’s getting worse or if it bothers him, a medical consultation should be first on the cards.
I posted a similar question in a thread about Richard the Lion-heart: What might cause trembling hands?
Like Ford, I’ll get the hand shakes if I haven’t eaten in a while. If I skip lunch, say, my hands will start shaking (just slightly - I can still function quite well, but it does feel funny) by about 3 or 3:00. But it’s not a permanent thing; it only happens if I haven’t eaten and goes away after I do so.
This runs in my husband’s family. His grandmother had it. One of his aunts has it, and he has it. His mother has narcolepsy and cataplexy. Much of his maternal family is just weirdly wired.
He’s tried drugs but didn’t like the way they made him feel. His tremors aren’t as significant as his aunt’s are at this time. If you didn’t know what it was, you’d think she had Parkinson’s at first glance. She has some difficulty drinking and eating, can’t really take pictures with a camera, things like that. His you wouldn’t really noticed unless you looked closely, and he can control them if he needs to.
My husband finds that regular exercise seems to help his tremors.
Thanks for all the information, everybody. I’ll admit that when I posted this thread I didn’t really think it was anything to worry about, but I’m definitely printing some of those articles out and showing them to my BIL.
Any possibility he might be using Ecstacy? I once saw a friend of mine a couple of hours after he’d taken it, and his hands were shaking like he had Parkinson’s.