Caffeine and tremor

Koller, William MD, PhD
Cone, Sandra MS
Herbster, Gregory MS

Department of Neurology, Loyola University School of Medicine, Hines VA Hospital, Hines, IL.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Koller, Neurology Service (127). Hines VA Hospital, Hines, IL 60141.

Supported by the Veterans Administration.

Received January 21, 1986. Accepted for publication April 16, 1986.

Neurology 37(1):p 169-172, January 1987.

Article abstract

Two percent of normal controls noted that drinking coffee made their hands shaky. Eight percent of essential tremor and 6% of Parkinson's disease patients thought that coffee worsened their tremor. In formal tests, a single oral dose of caffeine (325 mg) did not increase physiologic, essential tremor, or parkinsonian tremor at 1, 3, or 3 hours after ingestion. Caffeine only infrequently induces tremor in normal people, and it does not exacerbate pathologic tremor.