Best pen for tremors?

May 7, 2021 8:56 AM

I get tremors when I try to hand write and the more I try to stop them the worse it gets - probably a mental thing. Pencil works way better for me than ink in this regard but is there a style of pen that might help?
posted by ftm to Grab Bag (8 answers total)

I did a search for "parkinsons pen" and got search results for weighted pens. Do you think a weighted pen would help? Here's a page on how to DIY if you want to try it out.
posted by aniola at 9:03 AM on May 7, 2021

Another very populated search that might be useful:

https://www.google.com/search?q=tremor+pen
posted by zeek321 at 9:14 AM on May 7, 2021

I also have trouble writing. As I write, my hand cramps up, with my handwriting rapidly becoming illegible and my hand becoming increasingly painful. Once it's started, it just keeps getting worse until I give up and put the pen down. Obviously, this is not the same problem; but like you, I tend to get on better with pencils and suspect it's a mental thing. So on the offchance that they might help you too, here are the adjustments I find helpful:

- a fatter pen is better than a thinner one;
- gel ink is the best choice, because it requires the least force possible;
- and wrapping some self-adherent tape (like this) around the barrel to make a softer grip also helps.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 9:41 AM on May 7, 2021

You could try a triangular pen grip to see if it helps the implement sit more comfortably and securely in your hand while being held less tightly.
posted by flabdablet at 12:10 PM on May 7, 2021

I, too, have tremors that go nuts whenever I’m signing stuff, writing a check, etc. A fatter pen is definitely a good idea. It keeps your fingers in a less clenched position.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:00 PM on May 7, 2021

Jet Pens may have an suggestion for you. I've linked to their sampler pack which is out at the moment but you can order any of the pens individually. I'm slowly testing them and I'm pleased with most of them so far.
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 2:19 PM on May 7, 2021

My favorite pens are Pilot's disposable fountain pens. For disposable fountain pens, they write wonderfully smoothly. I have actual nice fountain pens ... but usually can't be bothered to use them, thanks to the annoyance of refilling them + their extra weight being less comfortable to write with.

I think they might be worth a try for you because a fountain pen requires very very light pressure on the page to write, so I'm wondering if that would help encourage you to hold the pen gently and reduce tremors.
posted by Metasyntactic at 7:28 AM on May 10, 2021

I wonder if something like this might help. It doesn't let the pen move around quite as much.
posted by hydra77 at 9:49 AM on May 10, 2021