Drug-Induced Tremors: Causes, Medications, and What to Do
When your hands shake for no clear reason, it’s easy to blame stress, caffeine, or aging. But sometimes, the culprit is something you’re taking on purpose: drug-induced tremors, involuntary shaking caused by medications, not neurological disease. Also known as medication tremors, this isn’t rare—it’s one of the most overlooked side effects in primary care. Unlike Parkinson’s tremors, which usually start on one side and get worse at rest, drug-induced shaking often hits both hands, gets worse when you move, and shows up after starting or changing a medicine.
Many common drugs can trigger this. anticholinergic drugs, used for overactive bladder, allergies, and depression—like oxybutynin or diphenhydramine—are big culprits. So are SSRIs, common antidepressants like sertraline and fluoxetine, and even QT prolongation, a heart rhythm issue caused by certain antibiotics and antiarrhythmics that can also lead to tremors as a warning sign. You won’t find this listed as a top side effect on most pill bottles, but studies show up to 1 in 5 people on these drugs develop noticeable shaking.
What makes it tricky is that tremors often show up weeks or months after starting a drug. People assume it’s just getting older, or that anxiety is flaring up. But if you started a new medication and your hands began trembling—especially when holding a cup or writing—it’s worth asking your doctor. The good news? Stopping or switching the drug often makes the tremor go away completely. You don’t need a brain scan. You need a conversation.
Some medications linked to this aren’t even meant for your brain. Beta-blockers for high blood pressure, asthma inhalers like albuterol, even thyroid pills can cause shaking if the dose is too high. And if you’re on multiple drugs, the risk multiplies. A study in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology found that people taking three or more tremor-causing meds were over four times more likely to develop noticeable shaking than those on one.
It’s not just about stopping the drug, though. Sometimes, the answer is adding something else. A low dose of propranolol, a beta-blocker usually used for heart issues, can calm the tremor without messing up your original treatment. But you can’t guess your way through this. You need to connect the dots between what you’re taking and what your body’s doing.
Below, you’ll find real stories and science-backed insights from people who’ve been there. You’ll learn which prescriptions are most likely to cause shaking, how to tell if it’s the drug or something else, and what questions to ask your pharmacist before you swallow another pill. No fluff. No jargon. Just what actually helps when your hands won’t stop moving.
