daisy1

Hi I have been off alcohol for 26 days now after a detox. I take no meds only the strong B vitamins the hospital sent me home with. I don't drink caffeine and I'm not at all anxious, I'm very relaxed and content so far.
The trouble is my hands are still shaking so much I can't even write my own name.
I'm going back to work in 3 weeks and I need to be able to write and more importantly take bloods.
Has anyone else had this problem? I hope someone can tell me they will eventually go as I won't be able to do my job properly I will be useless to them as I run oxygen clinics, and an integral part of that is taking arterial blood.
I also can't eat peas, my favorite vegetable because they fly around the room from my fork

Anna

Daisy, I'm sorry you're dealing with this. I had shaky hands only when I was initially stopping drinking, but it didn't last more than a few days. I have had fibromyalgia for many years and one symptom is occasional shaky handwriting. It might be something to talk to your dr about and to get more information.

daisy1

I'm seeing her tomorrow so I will yes. Thank you.

SolidKarma

This isn't normal to have these symptoms that long after no longer using alcohol. I would see a Dr about this.

August252015

Good luck with the dr. I did have horribly shaky hands and they went away; they did pop up now and then for the first 100 days or so. Now, never.

Hang in there- and definitely know that drinking (to stop them) isn't a cure.

Forward12

Sounds good, let us know how it goes. Really only your doc could see what it is.

Andante

My experience is far outside the norm, but I had shaky hands for a VERY long time after quitting drinking.

At nearly 4 years sober, I'm almost back to 100% normal, although on some days I can still have trouble with handwriting or typing.

The only sure cure seems to be continued abstinence, and avoiding caffeine or other stimulants. I tried both benzos and beta-blockers without effect on the "baseline" shakiness, although they helped prevent agitation that would make the shakes worse.

Not saying you'll take as long, just that it can differ widely according to the individual. Barring a cause other than the lingering effects of alcohol abuse, the shakiness most likely will go away sooner rather than later

daisy1

I've been drinking heavily for a very long time, decades. The last six months was ridiculous, I wonder if I've done that much damage it will take longer to resolve. I will see what doc says but thanks you've reassured me.

ScottFromWI

It took over a year for a lot of the issues I had from drinking to subside, I do believe that the longer the damage the longer the recovery. But seeing a doctor is a good idea for certain, glad you are doing so and hope things turn out for the best.

thomas11

I do believe that permanent issues (shaking hands) can happen, but rarely. I'm wishing you the best when you meet with your doc.

daisy1

Dr said she thinks it will resolve in time and that the alcohol has damaged nerves. She did a full neuro exam to rule out scary causes and it was all fine. So I have three weeks to get better, haha. :-)

Zebra1275

Glad you made it to the Dr., and glad the news was good.

You've got 3 weeks off before you go back to work and that gives you some time to develop some new habits. I don't know if it will make any difference, but positive changes in your diet and exercise can't hurt.

daisy1

I'm on it! I'm walking further every day - not far because I was very ill in hospital but I feel stronger each day. I'm eating fresh food and cooking properly. I only ate crisps and wine for weeks and I have a lot of catching up to do. I practised writing my name a lot today and it got a little better.