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Elena Platov
5/19/15
& Whitehead, 1973). The popularity of Methaqualone was due to its relaxing effects
upon the body.
The pharmaceutical firm of William H. Rorer Inc. supplied Quaalude to the United
States. The drug was coined Quaalude, because it was a mash-up of the words quiet
and interlude; describing the drugs highly effective relaxant and sedative effects. In the
late 1970s, William H. Rorer Inc. sold the manufacturing rights of Quaalude to Lemmon
Company. However, Quaalude now had to deal with widespread public image problems
due to rampant recreational usage and the prevalence of numerous illegal underground
laboratories making the drug generically and flooding it into the general population
(McCarthy & Myers, 2003). At any rate, Quaalude was still prescribed as a popular overthe-counter solution for sleeping and narcolepsy problems. Furthermore, to combat
abuse of the drug, Lemmon Company shortly put out a less quantitatively potent form of
the drug, Mequin, in order to assuage the fears of doctors who wished to not feel
accountable for those patients who chose to abuse their previous prescriptions of
Quaalude.
In the early 1980s, Lemmon Company sold the rights to Quaalude to JB Roerig &
Company, a subsidiary of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. However, Quaalude was shortly
discontinued from manufacturing and sales in 1985 due to its propensity for psychoaddictiveness and its prevalent recreational use. In essence Quaaludes were to the
1970s and 80s what ecstasy and MDMA are to the 21 st century. For 30 years, Quaalude
has been nearly non-existent in the United States, U.K and abroad; probably due to the
prevalence of the hard drug revolution that occurred in the 80s and 90s (cocaine, crack,
black tar heroin, methamphetamine, etc.). As a result, when South African underground
barbiturate dosages are given to humans. This study intrinsically shows how the
glandular and digestion-oriented chemicals within the body become heightened and
galvanized by Methaqualone ingestion. The scope of Methaqualones effects on
humanity and animals is vast and must be studied more in order to expand the extant
literature review on the subject.
The film, The Wolf of Wall Street, re-popularized recreational Quaalude use by
way of stock trader Jordan Belforts antics. In the 1970s and 1980s, Quaalude were
indeed a substance used by Type A, high-stress white collar workers as a way to loosen
up, relax and experience mild sedation. The film popularized the resurgence of
Quaalude use because it allied the use of Quaalude with making money, prosperity and
decadent excess within the minds of viewers. As a result, illicit South African
laboratories are now able to concoct and sell generic version of Quaalude (named
Mandrax) due to the increased demand brought forth from the hype surrounding the
movie.
The implications of Methaqualone reintroducing itself into worldwide populations,
via Mandrax, is robust and worthy of alarm. Recent studies have posited that the
potency of Mandrax is potentially higher than the Quaalude of the 1970s/80s. As a
result, the side effects of Mandrax are worthy of attention since they are wider in scope.
Mandrax users, besides the effects of original Methaqualone, may experience rapid
emotional mood swings and vacillations, onset of depression, rapid loss of weight,
migraine headaches, intestinal cramping/blockages, epileptic seizures, aggressive
outbursts, toxic psychosis and lessened abilities to control musculature (Pascarelli,
1973). These dangerous symptoms simply showcase the manifold problems that
Mandrax users can be subject to.
Furthermore, while the Quaalude users of the past typically did not exude
physically notable signs of usage and addiction, this is not the case for Mandrax users
and abusers. Mandrax users typically can be identified due to jaundiced/yellow-stained
hands and fingers, bloodshot eyes, anorexic appearance, decaying teeth, narcoleptic
conditions, severe appetite loss, heightened secretion of saliva and a distended
abdominal region. Thus, it can be seen, that the modern-day synthesis of Methaqualone
can be posited as being much more dangerous than its original iteration and 20 th
century source.
The future of Mandrax is uncertain. For instance, in South Africa, its originator,
the low price of crack cocaine is driving up demand for crack and driving down demand
for Mandrax. In other first world countries, MDMA and ecstasy are more popular
recreational drugs that feature similar sedative attributes and lessened side effects.
Thus, Mandrax seems to be on the way out in terms of its favor within the current
recreational drug ethos. However, this is not to say that Mandrax still does not pose a
problem for many countries of the world. For instance, the illicit manufacture and
distribution of Mandrax is often tied in with other illegal activities where criminal activity
takes place across state/national lines (i.e. human trafficking, transit of stolen property,
etc.). As a result, the active and principal component of Mandrax, Methaqualone, still
constitutes a great danger; especially for the youth of the world who indiscriminately
ingest party drugs for a rush.
Reference List
Falco, M. (1976). Methaqualone misuse: Foreign experience and United States drug
control policy. Substance Use & Misuse, 11(4), 597-610.
Inaba, D. S., Gay, G. R., Newmeyer, J. A., & Whitehead, C. (1973). Methaqualone
Abuse: Luding Out. JAMA, 224(11), 1505-1509.
McCarthy, G., & Myers, B. (2003). Treatment for Mandrax (combination of
methaqualone, cannabis and tobacco) dependence in adults. The Cochrane
Library.
McCarthy, G., Myers, B., & Siegfried, N. (2005). Treatment for Methaqualone
dependence in adults. The Cochrane Library.
Pascarelli, E. F. (1973). Methaqualone abuse, the quiet epidemic. JAMA, 224(11),
1512-1514.