Is alcohol (the drinking kind) a beta blocker? No, I’m not conjuring up a self-medication regime. I’m just curious about how it can suppress essential tremors that are treated with beta blockers such as propranalol.
The short answer to your question is, yes, alcohol is a kind of beta-blocker. The longer answer is that alcohol is a general nervous system depressant. It depresses many other brain functions as well. Alcohol works through GABA A neurotransmitter receptors. These receptors are found throughout much of the brain and are inhibitory on other neurotransmitter systems. This means that generally increasing their activity throughout the brain will have an inhibitory effect on many brain functions. Part of that inhibition mimics the way that beta blockers work but in a much more generalized and widespread way.
So I’m guessing from what’s been said that alcohol does not directly block adrenergic receptors, but its effects diminish activity at them by virtue of more global effects. If that’s right, what is the mechanism?
Ack! I reread he answer and got a little more this time. Disregard my second post.
Thanks.