Methaqualone - Overview

Overview

Methaqualone was first manufactured in 1955 by scientists in India who were trying to find a cure for malaria, a serious tropical disease spread by mosquitoes. The drug was found to have properties that made it useful as a sleep aid and a sedative to help calm anxiety. Sedatives help people relax, relieving nervousness and restlessness. Doctors and scientists believed this new drug was non-addictive.

Quaaludes were popular at many discos in the 1970s, including Studio 54 in New York. The widespread use of the drug in such nightclubs gave it the nickname disco biscuit. Bettmann/Corbis.
Quaaludes were popular at many discos in the 1970s, including Studio 54 in New York. The widespread use of the drug in such nightclubs gave it the nickname "disco biscuit." © Bettmann/Corbis.

It was soon on the market in Japan and Europe as a "safe" alternative to the highly addictive barbituratesPronounced bar-BIH-chuh-rits; drugs that act as depressants and are used as sedatives or sleeping pills; also referred to as 'downers.' that had previously been the only choice for effective treatment of insomnia.

Methaqualone was approved for use in the United States in 1965 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It had been sold for several years in other countries under names such as Mandrax, Malsed, Malsedin, and Renoval. Doctors were glad to have a new prescription drug available to help patients deal with anxiety and sleeplessness. In the United States, the new drug was marketed under names such as Sopor, Parest, Optimil, and the most famous of all, Quaalude. Although the drug was available by prescription only, it was originally classified as a Schedule V drug, which meant that it was considered a very safe drug without any serious risk of addiction or harmful side effects.

Highly Abused in the 1960s and 1970s

Methaqualone was a big part of the "sex, love, drugs, and rock 'n' roll" culture of the 1960s and 1970s on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In the United Kingdom, the most popular version of methaqualone was combined with an antihistamineDrugs that block histamine, a chemical that causes nasal congestion related to allergies. and sold as Mandrax. Its slang names included "mandies" and "mandrakes." In the United States, the drug was referred to as "quaaludes," "ludes," or the "love drug." By the late 1960s, the Quaalude brand of methaqualone was wildly popular with students who used the drug as an antidote to the stresses of college life. They also believed, in error, that the drug was an aphrodisiac—a substance that would increase sexual desire and performance. The drug also became popular at nightclubs during the disco dancing craze.

In 1973, the U.S. government reclassified methaqualone from a Schedule V to a Schedule II controlled substance. This is the category given to highly addictive drugs that nonetheless have a particular medical use. It means that doctors can still prescribe the drug for patient use, but there are numerous restrictions on how the drug may be prescribed. One of the requirements is that a patient be examined by a physician before a prescription is written. In addition, Schedule II prescriptions cannot be renewed by phone. They must be rewritten by a doctor each time a patient runs out of the drug. This reclassification of the drug was an attempt to restrict its availability.

The Quiet Interlude

Quaalude was a brand name created to remind American consumers of the benefits of a popular over-the counter product called Maalox, which was sold by the same company. Maalox was named for its ingredients—magnesium and aluminum hydroxides. In the 1960s it was the best-known product of the William H. Rorer pharmaceutical company. Then (and now), Maalox was a product people took to relieve digestive problems and stomach distress. The company decided to use the "aa" of Maalox in the name of their new "feel-better" drug Quaalude. The new drug was marketed as a prescription-only sleeping pill. The intent was to plant the idea that just as Maalox could provide relief for an upset stomach, Quaalude could provide a "quiet interlude" of relief for sleepless nights.

By this time, however, two things had happened that made it almost impossible for the government to control access to methaqualone. First, prescriptions were readily available through so-called "stress clinics" that were set up in several states. These were not full-service doctors' offices, but were designed specifically to dispense prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications such as Quaalude. Because minimal physical exams were provided, and because the drug was legally available by prescription, it was difficult for law enforcement agencies to close down such clinics.

In addition, the world market was flooded with imitation methaqualone pills. During the peak of methaqualone use in the United States, approximately one billion counterfeit pills entered the country every year. Consequently, cracking down on the legal prescription process did little to slow the tide of demand for—or supply of—the drug.

No Longer Available Legally

By the early 1980s, as the medical world realized that methaqualone was too dangerous and addictive for most people, many doctors stopped prescribing the drug in any form. In 1984, nine states, including Florida, Georgia, and Illinois, banned the sale of the drug. The last U.S. company still manufacturing methaqualone stopped making and selling it on January 31, 1984. Within months, the drug was reclassified yet again by federal authorities. By order of Congress, methaqualone became a Schedule I controlled substance in August 1984. This made it illegal for any use.

Outlawing the manufacture, sale, or possession of methaqualone resulted in a dramatic drop in its use. According to the National Narcotics Intelligence Consumers Committee, U.S. emergency room visits related to methaqualone overdoses dropped from 2,764 in 1982 to only 163 in 1988.

Another reason for the drop in methaqualone abuse was the end of the disco dance era. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, young adults began attending raves—all-night dance parties that usually involve huge crowds of people, loud techno music, and illegal drug use. Raves brought new drugs onto the dance scene and the once-popular disco drug methaqualone was replaced by other more trendy and readily available drugs, such as ecstasy. In the twenty-first century, methaqualone is no longer monitored as a domestic drug of abuse in the United States.

Methaqualone Survives in South Africa

By 1988, methaqualone was illegal in most countries of the world as well. As of 2005, the drug was still in use in South Africa. Mandrax, which contains both methaqualone and an antihistamine, became the most popular illegal, synthetic drug used in South Africa. The chemicals used to produce methaqualone are made in southern Asia. Since the exportation of these chemicals is not well monitored or regulated, illegal drug manufacturers can buy the chemicals and produce methaqualone anywhere. Labs producing methaqualone have been found in several African countries, including Kenya, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and South Africa.

Methaqualone abuse is no longer a major problem in the United States. However, it has become the most popular illegal synthetic drug in South Africa. As depicted here, a man smokes Mandrax from a broken beer bottle near Cape Town, South Africa.
Methaqualone abuse is no longer a major problem in the United States. However, it has become the most popular illegal synthetic drug in South Africa. As depicted here, a man smokes Mandrax from a broken beer bottle near Cape Town, South Africa. Photo by Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images.

South Africa was both the largest producer and the largest consumer of the drug in the world in the early twenty-first century.