Methaqualone
Encyclopedia
Methaqualone is a sedative
-hypnotic
drug
that is similar in effect to barbiturate
s, a general central nervous system
depressant
. The sedative-hypnotic activity was first noted by Indian researchers in the 1950s and in 1962 methaqualone itself was patented in the US by Wallace and Tiernan. Its use peaked in the early 1970s as a hypnotic
, for the treatment of insomnia
, and as a sedative
and muscle relaxant
. It has also been used illegally as a recreational drug, commonly known as Quaaludes (icon ), Sopors, Ludes or Mandrax (particularly in the 1970s in North America) depending on the manufacturer. Since at least 2001, it has been widely used in South Africa
, where it is commonly referred to as "smarties" or "geluk-tablette" (meaning happy tablets). Clandestinely produced methaqualone is still seized by government agencies and police forces around the world.
Methaqualone was first synthesized in India in 1951 by Indra Kishore Kacker and Syed Hussain Zaheer, and was soon introduced to Japanese and European consumers as a safe barbiturate substitute. By 1965 it was the most commonly prescribed sedative in Britain, where it has been sold legally under the names Malsed, Malsedin, and Renoval. In 1965 a Methaqualone/antihistamine combination was sold as the sedative drug Mandrax, by Roussel Laboratories (now part of Sanofi-Aventis
). At about the same time, it was becoming a popular recreational drug (called "mandies" or "mandrake" or "mandrix"). In 1972 it was the sixth-bestselling sedative in the USA, where it was legal under the brand name Quaalude; at that time "luding out" was a popular college pastime. This is the similar effect of an alcoholic blackout with no recollection of events.
, drowsiness, reduced heart rate
, reduced respiration, increased sexual arousal (aphrodisia), and paresthesia
s (numbness of the fingers and toes). Larger doses can bring about respiratory depression, slurred speech, headache, and photophobia
(a symptom of excessive sensitivity to light).
An overdose can cause delirium
, convulsion
s, hypertonia
, hyperreflexia
, vomiting
, renal failure
, coma
, and death
through cardiac
or respiratory arrest
. It resembles barbiturate poisoning, but with increased motor difficulties and a lower incidence of cardiac or respiratory depression. Toxicity is treated with diazepam
and sometimes other anticonvulsants.
The drug was often used by people who went dancing at glam rock
clubs in the early 1970s and at discos in the late 1970s. (One slang term for Quaaludes was disco biscuits). In the mid 1970s there were bars in Manhattan called juice bars that only served non-alcoholic drinks that catered to people who liked to dance on methaqualone.
The drug was more tightly regulated in Britain
under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
and in the U.S. from 1973. It was withdrawn from many developed markets in the early 1980s (in 1982 in the United States), being made a Schedule I drug in the U.S. in 1984.
Smoking methaqualone, either by itself or as an adulterant added to various legal and illegal smoking mixtures, gained popularity in the U.S. among a few during the mid-1970s. Because the various binders and inert ingredients that were contained in the pill form were toxic when smoked, this practice was roundly decried by the medical community as a serious health risk. Smoking methaqualone pills can lead to emphysema
and other chronic lung disorders, most notably talcosis
.
. Commonly known as Mandrax, M-pills, buttons, or smarties, it is not taken orally but is crushed and mixed in a pipe with marijuana
. The low price (South African Rand 30 R
average, which is about $
4 of methaqualone) together with readily available cheap, low-grade marijuana
(in addition to methamphetamine
and temazepam
) makes it the preferred hard drug of the lower-income sections of South African society.
continued illegal manufacture of methaqualone all through the 1980s, continuing the use of the "714" stamp, until their popularity waned in the early 1990s.
Other widely used slang terms (given here in the plural) used for the drug methaqualone included: furies, ludes, mandrakes, quales, quas, quacks, quads, soaps, soapers, sopes, and super soper.
Sedative
A sedative or tranquilizer is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement....
-hypnotic
Hypnotic
Hypnotic drugs are a class of psychoactives whose primary function is to induce sleep and to be used in the treatment of insomnia and in surgical anesthesia...
drug
Medication
A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine, medication or medicament, can be loosely defined as any chemical substance intended for use in the medical diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention of disease.- Classification :...
that is similar in effect to barbiturate
Barbiturate
Barbiturates are drugs that act as central nervous system depressants, and can therefore produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to total anesthesia. They are also effective as anxiolytics, as hypnotics, and as anticonvulsants...
s, a general central nervous system
Central nervous system
The central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that integrates the information that it receives from, and coordinates the activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animals—that is, all multicellular animals except sponges and radially symmetric animals such as jellyfish...
depressant
Depressant
A depressant, or central depressant, is a drug or endogenous compound that depresses the function or activity of a specific part of the brain...
. The sedative-hypnotic activity was first noted by Indian researchers in the 1950s and in 1962 methaqualone itself was patented in the US by Wallace and Tiernan. Its use peaked in the early 1970s as a hypnotic
Hypnotic
Hypnotic drugs are a class of psychoactives whose primary function is to induce sleep and to be used in the treatment of insomnia and in surgical anesthesia...
, for the treatment of insomnia
Insomnia
Insomnia is most often defined by an individual's report of sleeping difficulties. While the term is sometimes used in sleep literature to describe a disorder demonstrated by polysomnographic evidence of disturbed sleep, insomnia is often defined as a positive response to either of two questions:...
, and as a sedative
Sedative
A sedative or tranquilizer is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement....
and muscle relaxant
Muscle relaxant
A muscle relaxant is a drug which affects skeletal muscle function and decreases the muscle tone. It may be used to alleviate symptoms such as muscle spasms, pain, and hyperreflexia. The term "muscle relaxant" is used to refer to two major therapeutic groups: neuromuscular blockers and spasmolytics...
. It has also been used illegally as a recreational drug, commonly known as Quaaludes (icon ), Sopors, Ludes or Mandrax (particularly in the 1970s in North America) depending on the manufacturer. Since at least 2001, it has been widely used in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, where it is commonly referred to as "smarties" or "geluk-tablette" (meaning happy tablets). Clandestinely produced methaqualone is still seized by government agencies and police forces around the world.
Methaqualone was first synthesized in India in 1951 by Indra Kishore Kacker and Syed Hussain Zaheer, and was soon introduced to Japanese and European consumers as a safe barbiturate substitute. By 1965 it was the most commonly prescribed sedative in Britain, where it has been sold legally under the names Malsed, Malsedin, and Renoval. In 1965 a Methaqualone/antihistamine combination was sold as the sedative drug Mandrax, by Roussel Laboratories (now part of Sanofi-Aventis
Sanofi-Aventis
Sanofi S.A. is a multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Paris, France, the world's fourth-largest by prescription sales. Sanofi engages in the research and development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical products for sale principally in the prescription market, but the...
). At about the same time, it was becoming a popular recreational drug (called "mandies" or "mandrake" or "mandrix"). In 1972 it was the sixth-bestselling sedative in the USA, where it was legal under the brand name Quaalude; at that time "luding out" was a popular college pastime. This is the similar effect of an alcoholic blackout with no recollection of events.
Effects
Effects can include euphoriaEuphoria (emotion)
Euphoria is medically recognized as a mental and emotional condition in which a person experiences intense feelings of well-being, elation, happiness, ecstasy, excitement and joy...
, drowsiness, reduced heart rate
Bradycardia
Bradycardia , in the context of adult medicine, is the resting heart rate of under 60 beats per minute, though it is seldom symptomatic until the rate drops below 50 beat/min. It may cause cardiac arrest in some patients, because those with bradycardia may not be pumping enough oxygen to their heart...
, reduced respiration, increased sexual arousal (aphrodisia), and paresthesia
Paresthesia
Paresthesia , spelled "paraesthesia" in British English, is a sensation of tingling, burning, pricking, or numbness of a person's skin with no apparent long-term physical effect. It is more generally known as the feeling of "pins and needles" or of a limb "falling asleep"...
s (numbness of the fingers and toes). Larger doses can bring about respiratory depression, slurred speech, headache, and photophobia
Photophobia
Photophobia is a symptom of abnormal intolerance to visual perception of light. As a medical symptom photophobia is not a morbid fear or phobia, but an experience of discomfort or pain to the eyes due to light exposure or by presence of actual physical photosensitivity of the eyes, though the term...
(a symptom of excessive sensitivity to light).
An overdose can cause delirium
Delirium
Delirium or acute confusional state is a common and severe neuropsychiatric syndrome with core features of acute onset and fluctuating course, attentional deficits and generalized severe disorganization of behavior...
, convulsion
Convulsion
A convulsion is a medical condition where body muscles contract and relax rapidly and repeatedly, resulting in an uncontrolled shaking of the body. Because a convulsion is often a symptom of an epileptic seizure, the term convulsion is sometimes used as a synonym for seizure...
s, hypertonia
Hypertonia
Hypertonia a condition marked by an abnormal increase in muscle tension and a reduced ability of a muscle to stretch. It is caused by lesions to upper motor neurons in the central nervous system, which carry information from the central nervous system to the muscles and control posture, muscle...
, hyperreflexia
Hyperreflexia
Hyperreflexia is defined as overactive or overresponsive reflexes. Examples of this can include twitching or spastic tendencies, which are indicative of upper motor neuron disease as well as the lessening or loss of control ordinarily exerted by higher brain centers of lower neural pathways...
, vomiting
Vomiting
Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose...
, renal failure
Renal failure
Renal failure or kidney failure describes a medical condition in which the kidneys fail to adequately filter toxins and waste products from the blood...
, coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
, and death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
through cardiac
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
or respiratory arrest
Respiratory arrest
Respiratory arrest is the cessation of breathing. It is a medical emergency and it usually is related to or coincides with a cardiac arrest. Causes include opiate overdose, head injury, anaesthesia, tetanus, or drowning...
. It resembles barbiturate poisoning, but with increased motor difficulties and a lower incidence of cardiac or respiratory depression. Toxicity is treated with diazepam
Diazepam
Diazepam , first marketed as Valium by Hoffmann-La Roche is a benzodiazepine drug. Diazepam is also marketed in Australia as Antenex. It is commonly used for treating anxiety, insomnia, seizures including status epilepticus, muscle spasms , restless legs syndrome, alcohol withdrawal,...
and sometimes other anticonvulsants.
Recreational use
Quaaludes became increasingly popular as a recreational drug in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The drug was used during sexual activity because of heightened sensitivity and lowered inhibition coupled with relaxation and euphoria.The drug was often used by people who went dancing at glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
clubs in the early 1970s and at discos in the late 1970s. (One slang term for Quaaludes was disco biscuits). In the mid 1970s there were bars in Manhattan called juice bars that only served non-alcoholic drinks that catered to people who liked to dance on methaqualone.
The drug was more tightly regulated in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 is an Act of Parliament which represents UK action in line with treaty commitments under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic...
and in the U.S. from 1973. It was withdrawn from many developed markets in the early 1980s (in 1982 in the United States), being made a Schedule I drug in the U.S. in 1984.
Smoking methaqualone, either by itself or as an adulterant added to various legal and illegal smoking mixtures, gained popularity in the U.S. among a few during the mid-1970s. Because the various binders and inert ingredients that were contained in the pill form were toxic when smoked, this practice was roundly decried by the medical community as a serious health risk. Smoking methaqualone pills can lead to emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
and other chronic lung disorders, most notably talcosis
Talcosis
Pulmonary talcosis, less specifically referred to as talcosis, is a pulmonary disorder caused by talc.It has been related to silicosis resulting from inhalation of talc and silicates. It is also tied to heroin use where talc might be used as an adulterant to increase weight and street value. It is...
.
South Africa
Methaqualone is one of the most commonly used hard drugs in South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Commonly known as Mandrax, M-pills, buttons, or smarties, it is not taken orally but is crushed and mixed in a pipe with marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
. The low price (South African Rand 30 R
South African rand
The rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand , the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. The rand has the symbol "R" and is subdivided into 100 cents, symbol "c"...
average, which is about $
Dollar
The dollar is the name of the official currency of many countries, including Australia, Belize, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States.-Etymology:...
4 of methaqualone) together with readily available cheap, low-grade marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
(in addition to methamphetamine
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
and temazepam
Temazepam
Temazepam is an intermediate-acting 3-hydroxy benzodiazepine. It is mostly prescribed for the short-term treatment of sleeplessness in patients who have difficulty maintaining sleep...
) makes it the preferred hard drug of the lower-income sections of South African society.
Slang terms
Methaqualone was manufactured in the United States under the name Quaalude by the pharmaceutical giants "Rorer" and "Lemmon" with the numbers 714 stamped on the tablet, so people often referred to Quaaludes as 714's,"Lemmons", or "Lemmon 7s". After the legal manufacture of the drug ended in the United States in 1982, underground laboratories in MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
continued illegal manufacture of methaqualone all through the 1980s, continuing the use of the "714" stamp, until their popularity waned in the early 1990s.
Other widely used slang terms (given here in the plural) used for the drug methaqualone included: furies, ludes, mandrakes, quales, quas, quacks, quads, soaps, soapers, sopes, and super soper.
See also
- Methaqualone in popular cultureMethaqualone in popular cultureThe following list is of references to Methaqualone in popular culture. Entries should either refer to an article that includes sources for these references or include footnotes to reliable sources to demonstrate the notability and verify the reference to Methaqualone.Methaqualone is a...
- CloroqualoneCloroqualoneCloroqualone is an analogue of methaqualone developed in the 1980s and marketed mainly in France and some other European countries. It has sedative and antitussive properties, and was sold either alone or in combination with other ingredients as a cough medicine...
- DiproqualoneDiproqualoneDiproqualone is an analogue of methaqualone developed in the 1980s and marketed mainly in France and some other European countries. It has sedative, anxiolytic, antihistamine and analgesic properties, and is used primarily for the treatment of inflammatory pain associated with osteoarthritis and...
- EtaqualoneEtaqualoneEtaqualone is an analogue of methaqualone which was developed in the 1960s and marketed mainly in France and some other European countries...
- MebroqualoneMebroqualoneMebroqualone is an analogue of mecloqualone which presumably has similar sedative and hypnotic properties to its parent compound. Mebroqualone differs from mecloqualone by having a bromine atom instead of a chlorine on the 3-phenyl ring...
- MecloqualoneMecloqualoneMecloqualone is an analogue of methaqualone which was first made in 1960 and marketed mainly in France and some other European countries. It has sedative, hypnotic and anxiolytic properties, and was used for the treatment of insomnia...
- MethylmethaqualoneMethylmethaqualoneMethylmethaqualone is an analogue of methaqualone which has similar sedative and hypnotic properties to its parent compound, and is around the same potency. Methylmethaqualone differs from methaqualone by 4-methylation on the phenyl ring...
- NitromethaqualoneNitromethaqualoneNitromethaqualone is an analogue of methaqualone which has similar sedative and hypnotic properties.It is significantly more potent compared to the parent compound; the typical dose is approximately 25 mg...
