Posted by lars1 on January 18, 2005, at 4:29:55
In reply to Re: Which neurostransmitters affect social phobia? » lunesta, posted by banga on January 17, 2005, at 14:45:14
> Do you mean formaldehyde? If yes, that would be interesting--I am allergic to formaldehyde and it is hypothesized that my alcoholism stems from an allerg/chemical sensitivity.
Yes. Alcoholic beverages contain trace amounts of methanol, which gets metabolized to formaldehyde. Dark liquors (whiskey, dark rum, red wine) contain more methanol than light ones (vodka, gin) and therefore result in more formaldehyde. This may explain why they are also more likely to cause a hangover.
I don't think formaldehyde has much to do with alcohol's psychoactive effects (other than hangovers). Ethanol gets preferentially metabolized before methanol, so formaldehyde doesn't start getting produced until you are sobering up.
Lars
poster:lars1
thread:442780
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050113/msgs/443613.html