Methaqualone, a sedative-hypnotic drug marketed primarily below the model title Quaalude (and Sopor), was extensively prescribed within the Nineteen Sixties and Nineteen Seventies to deal with insomnia and anxiousness. Initially, it was promoted as a non-barbiturate different, believed to be safer and fewer vulnerable to habit. Nevertheless, expertise revealed vital points.
The drug’s reputation shortly led to widespread leisure use and abuse. The euphoric and sedative results have been wanted, contributing to its standing as a well-liked get together drug. This widespread misuse resulted in a surge of emergency room visits and reviews of great negative effects, together with seizures, coma, and even dying. Dependancy charges additionally turned alarmingly excessive, contradicting the preliminary claims of security. The rising public well being disaster prompted elevated scrutiny and regulatory motion.