Tremors when drunk

[Janedoe82]

wondering if anyone can advise. I was out with a friend over Christmas who has always been a heavy drinker. When we were out after lots of wine they started shaking uncontrollably, almost like a mini stroke and were unable to talk. This has happened before. I didn’t mention it but just worried. Is this likely to be a sign of something serious?

Was your friend aware they were doing it? How long did it last? Why didn't you mentioned it to them?
'Jane, are you ok? You are/were shaking uncontrollably and I'm worried!'

Sounds like delirium tremors, but I thought that occurred when people stopped drinking.

I didn’t want to embarrass her- to be honest this happens a lot. But this particular time really bad. They are aware. I have read up on them happening after stopping drinking but can’t see anything online about whilst drinking.
I suppose just trying to work out just how bad it is 😕

Lasted a couple of minutes and happened a couple of times in half an hour

@Janedoe82 could be a number of things caused by alcohol

• dehydration
• hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar)
• changes in brain chemistry
• anxiety

Could also be a transient ischaemic attack (mini stroke) which could be due to alcohol abuse and/or other reasons. But only the loss of speech fits that really.

Withdrawal tremors don’t usually start until at least 6 hours after the last drink. If she had been drinking a lot then off it for a day or two before meeting you, it could have been that but it sounds like she hadn’t stopped drinking when it happened.

I’ve got alcohol use disorder and to be honest, it sounds like embarrassing her is the least of her worries. Do you feel you can speak to her about it in a supportive way, without judgement: “friend, I noticed you seemed to be shaking a bit when we met up. I love you and it worried me. Are you up for talking about it?”

If she isn’t then all you can do is reiterate you are there for her if/when she is ready to talk about it.

How old is she? Any chance it's Parkinsons?

My father has the same, he had MRIs and scans done. He has something called essential tremors. 100% worse when he drinks alcohol and so scary to see an episode.

Thanks so much everyone! I will have a read up and think about next steps. Just hard to address with someone you don’t see often.