Vitamins for Shaking Hands

The muscles in your hands receive inputs from motor neurons, nerves that stimulate muscle contraction. Damage to these motor nerves can cause abnormal nerve signalling to your hand muscles, leading to uncontrolled hand movement or shaking hands. While shaking hands can develop for a number of reasons, such as an underlying disease, vitamins might help prevent or treat shaking hands in some cases. Never take vitamin supplements, or other dietary supplements, without first consulting with your doctor.

Man and woman holding hands on couch. (Image: Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images)

Vitamin B-12

One vitamin that can help you prevent uncontrollable shaking in your hands is vitamin B-12, or cobalamin. Your body needs cobalamin to maintain healthy nerves, since vitamin B-12 deficiency leads to a breakdown of myelin, the protective cell coating required for proper nerve transmission. As a result, vitamin B-12 deficiency can lead to a loss of motor control in your extremities, including your arms, leading to shaking hands. Taking vitamin B-12 can help prevent this deficiency, and the resulting nerve damage that can cause shaking hands.

Vitamin E

Another vitamin that can potentially help prevent shaking hands is vitamin E. One possible cause of shaking hands is Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disease that leads to a progressive loss of motor control. Taking antioxidant vitamins -- like vitamin E -- can benefit a patient with Parkinson's disease, helping to control hand shaking. In addition, vitamin E plays a role in the general health of your nervous system, helping to prevent nerve damage that can occur due to vitamin E deficiency.

Vitamin B-1

Vitamin B-1, or thiamine, can also help prevent shaking hands. Consuming vitamin B-1 each day helps nourish your nervous system, whereas vitamin B-1 deficiency can lead to beriberi, a condition partially characterized by nerve damage. An individual suffering from beriberi can develop uncontrollable shaking in her hands or legs, along with a loss of sensation, cardiovascular damage and dementia. Taking vitamin B-1 can aid in preventing this deficiency, helping to protect you from shaking hands due to beriberi.

Considerations

While consuming certain vitamins can help prevent the nerve damage that causes shaking hands, vitamin supplements alone may not treat the underlying condition causing the nerve damage. For example, individuals with vitamin B-12 deficiency often receive vitamin injections at a doctor's office, since poor dietary absorption of oral vitamin supplements means that vitamin B-12 tablets do not effectively treat the deficiency. In addition, an individual who experiences shaking hands due to Parkinson's disease requires medical supervision to control his disease. If you're interested in taking vitamins to prevent or help control shaking hands, you must first consult with your doctor.