Essential Tremor FDA Approved New Treatment

[dug_less]

I'm not sure how many forum members suffer from essential tremor as I do, but I thought I would post some developing treatments for this medical issue. The FDA has approved focused ultrasound treatment for essential tremor. Here is one of several links regarding to the new and approved treatment. https://www.fusfoundation.org/diseas...sential-tremor . It appears that Medicare and most major health insurance plans are paying for the procedure, and it is an outpatient procedure. As of right now the FDA is only approving for one side, but a bilateral procedure seems to be getting close to approval here in the states. It appears that the bilateral procedure is doing well in Europe, so I think the FDA will follow along soon. I'm patiently waiting for the bilateral to be approved and then I'm going to schedule the procedure in Philly. Hope this info is helpful to other members in the forum.

[LeeAnn]

My sister has essential tremors. She will be glad to hear about treatment although she has so many other medical issues, she may not follow up on it. Watching her hold a cup of coffee is not a good thing to see. But she has had it all of her adult life, and it seems to be getting worse. Thanks for the link @dug_less

[dug_less]

My sister has essential tremors. She will be glad to hear about treatment although she has so many other medical issues, she may not follow up on it. Watching her hold a cup of coffee is not a good thing to see. But she has had it all of her adult life, and it seems to be getting worse. Thanks for the link @dug_less

Yeah, it runs on my fathers side of the family. I seem to have it worse than my brother and father. Some days I'm pretty good and other days I need to use 2 hands to drink from a glass. Fingers crossed, if they approve the bilateral procedure I will be the first one in line.

[LeeAnn]

It runs on my father's side also. I had 2 sisters and they were identical twins. We lost one of them last year to cancer but they both had the tremors. I did not get it and neither did my father but 2 of his brothers had it, so it definitely is a genetic characteristic. We just called it the Family Shakes. A definite diagnosis of Essential Tremors seems to be a fairly new one or else my sisters never went to the right doctors. The surviving twin with the tremors also had a facial tic which now seems to be related to allergies. But because my profession as a school psychologist was primarily diagnostic, years ago I had decided she had a mild case of Tourette's Syndrome. Fortunately, I kept that opinion to myself.

[dug_less]

Here is a url that breaks down facilities available for the procedure. I'm sure there are other locations, but this is a good start. https://www.fusfoundation.org/the-te...ntial%20Tremor

[kachoo]

I have a mild familial or essential tremor. Along with Raynaud's syndrome.
I forget that I have these things, my symptoms are so mild most of the time. But it's embarrassing sometimes, since stress is one of the triggers that makes it much worse.
Nothing like feeling stressed out and not being able to hide it, cause yeah, you might need two hands to get a glass to your mouth. There are days like that.

My tremors are getting a little worse with being older now, but guess I should feel grateful my tremor is just in my fingers and mostly the nondominant hand fingers.
Good to know about this treatment if the tremor gets worse. I can't do the beta blocker meds due to low-ish bp, but they help some people.

[kachoo]

It's probably as common as 20% among older people, but then you get into questions like, is it a side effect of meds and such, if the person didn't have it much in earlier life.
I remember as a kid helping my dad do things around the house, and the thing I hated most was being made to crawl under the house because I was scared of spiders, so
he wouldn't make me do that cause I'd make myself scarce. Otherwise, I liked helping out. He was always working on some used car and I got to hold a light or get a wrench
down somewhere he couldn't. His fingers would always shake, it was really noticeable, and he must have been in his forties then.

I started to notice mine more as I became forty something. My brother has it much worse than I do, so I always wondered if it was worse for men. My mother didn't have it at all.
Since a lot of us are not getting any younger, it could help to have a thread in case somebody is suffering alone. It's not that well known a condition; I've talked to nurses who
didn't know what it was, one of them called it Parkinson's, and it most certainly was not.

[dug_less]

My father, brother, and myself were all born with it, and it was noticeable at a very young age for each of us. My fathers tremors were not very severe as a younger man, and most people did not even notice. He is now 86 years with health declining and the tremors are getting worse. My brother manages quite well, although it can be noticeable at times. Lucky me, I got it the worse. Bad enough that when people who do not know me, think I'm having DT alcohol withdrawal. Tell me I need a drink. I don't drink. Very frustrating and has affected my social life forever. @Westend , it might be a good idea to make a full thread both as a support group and latest updates in the treatment. Things are changing in the medical world very quickly and I am personally following the developments in treatment. There are medications to help with the tremors, but I've tried them all and the side effects outweighed the benefits.

[dug_less]

@kachoo , I've done the beta blockers too. Inderal. It very little effect on my tremors. Neurontin, and all kinds of antiseizure medication. Last medication I tried was Mysoline, and could not tolerate it. Made me very unbalanced and my hand to object was way off. So, I stopped with the meds yeas ago. Really hoping for this bilateral procedure to be approved here in the states.

[LeeAnn]

My sister's hand tremors have worsened as she aged but it was always there since she was young. Many years ago, I was put on Lithium as a mood stabilizer and my hands shook so much, I could not hold a spoon. The doctor gave me 5mg of Inderal and it was like magic, the shakes were gone. The Inderal did not work that way for my sister, it did nothing for her at all. It's just recently she was given the name Essential Tremors for it. I do not know if it is a new name for an old condition or the fact her doctor is a quack.

Well, a little research shows it has been around for a while and it can also affect one's voice. Harvard Medical mentions that the late actress Katherine Hepburn provided an indelible public image of essential tremor. Her quavering voice and trembling hands unmistakably betrayed the disorder.

Although it appears similar, it is more common than Parkinsons but not nearly as serious. There are some management techniques but no real cure.

This thread could serve as a base If it is moved to the section on specific conditions. JMHO of course.

[dug_less]

Found a very nice web page with information and links to treatment and insurance information. https://usa.essential-tremor.com/neu...6203ae54a98900 .

[PR123]

I take Propranolol 60MGs per day for an ET I've had since 12 years old when I had a near fatal bout with viral Encephalitis. Since I started taking it I still have a shake but no more having to steady a glass with 2 hands. I briefly took Zoloft but that caused me to literally vibrate to the point I was tempted to ask for a straw to drink a beer so that had to be discontinued. Ask your GP to see if Propranolol's an option as it sure works for me.

[dug_less]

I take Propranolol 60MGs per day for an ET I've had since 12 years old when I had a near fatal bout with viral Encephalitis. Since I started taking it I still have a shake but no more having to steady a glass with 2 hands. I briefly took Zoloft but that caused me to literally vibrate to the point I was tempted to ask for a straw to drink a beer so that had to be discontinued. Ask your GP to see if Propranolol's an option as it sure works for me.

Already been there and tried that. I have run the gamut on medications and they either don't work, or the side effects I can't tolerate. I appreciate your input though. I think the more information we get posted here, the more we can help other forum members who are dealing with the same issue.