Alcohol as a muscle relaxer?

[mikeyjinx]

I had gotten pretty irritated with my ms a few months ago and really just wanted a break from it all. I was watching a video on Youtube where a girl talked about how she drank occasionally and usually didn't suffer any ill effects. So I figured wth, 4 - 6 hours of not worrying about this crap would be worth feeling bad the next day. So off to Kroger I went to browse the wine isle. (I Knew beer and whiskey were out of the question.) So I got my wine, went home and got pretty "relaxed". lol. Here's the funny thing, the next day when I woke, I had some muscle stiffness in my legs, but it dissipated after I got up and moved around. What was really surprising is that it didn't come back at all for around 4 days. That or any of the fog or headaches that I'd been having. I've repeated this once or twice a week for the past two months. Anyone else notice any beneficial effects from alcohol?

[steves]

when first dx I noticed that moderate alcohol alleviated muscle tightness. Internist said that back in the day alcohol was used to treat spasms. Technically, it inhibits a neurotransmitter and allows for muscles to relax. Guess that's the basis for Happy Hour. Moderation is key.

[jimmylegs]

alcohol consumption clears both calcium and magnesium. calcium helps muscles contract, magnesium blocks the calcium allowing muscles to relax. i hypothesize that you might have cleared enough calcium to balance your electrolytes out for a few days.

The Hypocalcemic Effect of Ethyl Alcohol in Rats and Dogs
http://endo.endojournals.org/content/91/2/586.short

Moderate alcohol consumption and urinary excretion of magnesium and calcium
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11569488