I am only 15 but was diagnosed with ET a while ago. None of my parents or any other family member has ET. I'm guessing that your partner has a familial tremor which just means it's passed on from generation to generation. Because of the type of gene it is there is a 50% chance that the child will inherit the condition. Personally since my tremor began it had gradually worsened and I'm classed as disabled. It is in the nature of the condition to gradually worsen but some people find it just disappears completely or disappeas only to return much later on in life.

Hi....I've had this tremor since I was in my 40's.....I'm now in my 70's. It has gotten worse slowly, over the years. I take Propranolol
which helps a great deal, however, I use the Propranolol for another reason, also, or I would try something different. Soph03 is right.....the familial (family) ET, which means that it is inherited by some members of families, is probably what your partner has. My brother had it VERY badly. I have quite a mild case of it, compared to him, even though it's becoming very bothersome, now. I am not disabled by it, however, and I have learned how to "deal" with the shaking, to some extent. I don't know if this helps anyone else, but when I get extra shaky, I drink a glass of milk. That seems to calm my stomach, and reduce the shakiness. Our 56 year old son died of cancer a year and a half ago. He had started with ET. He was an artist, and it did interfere, somewhat with that, but since they used the computer for most of their art work (industrial art), he was not hindered too badly. If your partner sees a neurologist, and gets the proper medication, then I think he'll be able to slow it down. I hope so.
SK77

thanks for your advice. He is a musician so he has a lot of trouble with it and it definately gets in the way every-day for him. I do sense his/your frustration as I see him and as we do things together. 50% rate of getting is strong but I know he's the worst out of his family having it. One of his sisters is now 30 and her head tremor has only begun now though she's had hand etc tremors througout life. I'll tell him about the milk though and that the tremor can disappear in life - that it can disappear even a bit will give him a world of hope in itself I believe!

Do you get any headache side effects from the drugs you take? He always has headaches now so I was wondering if this might be the meds? or any other side effects?

I've taken propranolol (generic of inderal) for over 20 years, and it's the ONLY thing I have ever tried for ET. I've heard there is something more effective, today, but since I'm taking the propranolol for another condition (regulates heart beat), the doctor prefers that I continue with it for as long as possible. I get NO headaches from propranolol. I don't think headaches are a side effect of that, however I'm not certain. What is your partner using at the present time? You can look it up on the internet and see if headaches are one of it's side-
effects. Has he ever tried propranolol?

SK77

Hi guys I am new to this site but grateful to have found it. I amm 44 and my tremor started at age 12 in the hands and progressed to the head in my 20's. my mom and youngest son have it in their hands and i worry my grandchildren will also inherit it. I HATE the stares from people. I rarly go out and I know I will never be able to afford the surgery. TYSVM for letting me vent.....pooh

I only know one side of my family history but none of the maternal side have it so I guess it's from the paternal side. I have 2 children, a boy and a girl, my daughter is tremor free but my son has had it since his teens (he is also a musician) It is true that children have a 50% chance of inheriting the condition. It is considered to be a slowly progressive condition, meaning it does get worse with age. It can disappear for a while only to come back later but this is generally only the case when the E.T is mild. Headaches (and neck pain) can be brought on by muscle tension caused by the constant movement of a head tremor. For further information check out my site www.essentialtremorinfo.com

Hi,

thanks for your reply. Do you use the suggested aromatherapy oil for tremors and do you find it helps?

Hi Spirit13,
I get a lot of feedback from members on my site, www.essentialtremorinfo.com and to be honest it seems that they are all disillusioned with aromatherapy, herbal remedies etc. I have a meeting with a Chinese Herbalist next month and intend on discussing him coming up with a remedy. I intend to come off my beta blockers for a couple of days (will have tremor in hands, head, voice and torso) then trying the remedy myself so I can state honestly if it worked. If your partner is really bad he could try Gamma Knife Surgery (laser not a scalpel!!!) You can find a page about it on my site if you want to read further

I'm 72. Tried both Inderal (Propanolol) & Mysoline (Primidone). They each gave me headaches. Poor sleep.

Inderal was no help for me. Mysoline slowed my hand tremor but worsened my head tremor. It took a month of titrating off of it, for safety reasons.

Tremor Tales: Essential tremor story poems - humorous, & serious. :-)s

http://www.geocities.com/lc22002/Tremor_Tales.html