United States: A neurologist has explained some of the medicines that could lead you to develop the shakes.
More details
The specialist of internal medicine from Ann Arbor, Detroit, Michigan, Dr Baibing Chen, says that, on meeting many patients complaining of hand tremors, who thought they might be suffering from a serious brain disorder such as Parkinson’s.
Before diagnosing them with neurological conditions, the experienced Dr Chen always reels what drugs the patients are taking.
Dr Chen asked his patients if they were using pseudoephedrine, an over-the-counter drug for nasal or sinus congestion branded under other names, including Sudafed – because the patient may develop tremors due to the drug.
What more is the expert stating?
It is due to the fact that the decongestant works on the CNS and raises the emission of norepinephrine, which is the neurotransmitter responsible for the state of arousal and will result in negative effects like nervousness, and tremors.
These symptoms are more evident when the medication is taken in large quantities or when people have adverse reactions to it. This also holds for Adderall, which is a branded name for the amphetamine products used in the management of ADHD.
As per Dr Chen, ‘These can increase nervous system activity and sometimes lead to shakiness or tremors,’ DailyMail reported.
The use of antidepressants
Furthermore, the neurologist examines the use of antidepressants. He said that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which is a class of antidepressants that are known to act by increasing serotonin levels in the brain, have been found to cause tremors.
The FDA has green-lighted these five SSRIs to cure depression- Citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft).
Mayo Clinic notes that some people experience no side effects, and many side effects fade off after the first weeks of treatment.
Besides causing shakiness, these drugs can result in restlessness, sweating, and headache.
According to Dr Chen, another drug, the tricyclic antidepressant called amitriptyline, also results in the same reactions.
Pursuing this line of reasoning further, he opines that typical antipsychotics that may be prescribed to control psychotic symptoms like hallucinations, paranoid ideas, or bizarre thinking may produce tremors.
Moreover, as experts note, although lithium is commonly used as a mood stabilizer, it is “also known to cause or worsen tremors, particularly at higher blood levels.”
According to Dr David Osser, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, lithium-induced tremors are “very common and disliked by patients,” and anxiety makes their condition further deteriorate.