> it was only after that I discovered the "off-label" anti-anxiety side-effects of beta blockers.
Could you possibly comment on the degree and characteristics (degree of moment, frequency, spiking under stressful situations) of your essential tremor, as well as offer any additional depth on off-label treatments?
The tremor was something I was aware of since I was a kid, showed up in bad handwriting and general "clumsiness" with fine motor movements. Nobody ever thought much of it other than that I was "clumsy".
It wasn't until I was 27 that I started to wonder whether there was something actually wrong that might be a root cause for it. At this point the tremor was bad enough that at times I had trouble holding a fork to eat. The intensity of the symptoms could vary a great deal from day to day. Granted, I was in grad school at this time and my stress levels were pretty high. I did notice that alcohol made it better, but treatment with alcohol is contraindicated...
Got a referral to neurology dept and after they watched me do some drawing, arrived at the conclusion of the problem quite quickly.
For more off-label info, might have a look at Wikipedia page on beta blockers, it's pretty thorough. Turns out quite a few musicians use it for stage fright & dexterity.
Could you possibly comment on the degree and characteristics (degree of moment, frequency, spiking under stressful situations) of your essential tremor, as well as offer any additional depth on off-label treatments?