Quaaludes or methaqualone was a prescription drug used in the treatment of anxiety, called an anxiolytic, or to promote sleep. Methaqualone was a central nervous system depressant, and is comparable to barbiturates. When it was used in prescribed doses, it tended to promote relaxation, sleepiness, and for some, a feeling of euphoria.

This euphoric feeling was one of the reasons that quaaludes, also known by their street name of “ludes,” began to be used as a recreational drug. They were a popular drug for abuse during much of the 1970s, though they became increasingly more difficult to find as both the US and Britain began to tighten control around their use and dispensation. Concern over the abuse of quaaludes become so high that that drugs were withdrawn from the market in the US in 1984. Methaqualone is now considered a Schedule I drug, and is defined as having no legitimate use because of its high risk of addiction. Much of Europe has also banned the drug, but in certain countries, like South Africa it is becoming increasingly popular as a recreational drug.

Quaaludes like all street drugs had a tendency to be overused. A large dose may cause depression, problems coordinating the muscles, and difficulty speaking, quite similar to the effects of too much alcohol. An overdose is very dangerous, and may cause kidney failure, heart attack, convulsions, and death. Large doses might require medical treatment as well. Combining the drug, as many people did with alcohol, could increase effects to the nervous system and result in serious illness.

Abuse of quaaludes in their pill form is certainly bad, but even worse is the practice of crushing and smoking the pills. This has been tied directly to development of emphysema, and the medical community urges people not to use these drugs in this manner. Further, it’s impossible to know if the quaaludes you purchase meet any sort of safe manufacturing standards, and you would only have the assurance of a drug dealer or someone who uses them as to whether they were actually methaqualone.

It is known that quaaludes are highly addictive, which is somewhat ironic since they were seen to be potentially less addictive than barbiturates that were routinely prescribed for sleep difficulties or anxiety. Initially, methaqualone powder was thought a potential treatment for malaria and was developed in South America. Once the drug was known to be so problematic, and quaalude use had risen dramatically, organizations like the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) reported that the drug was being manufactured primarily in places like South America. For a time the DEA was able to stop methaqualone powder from getting to illegal manufacturers, and much of quaalude use ended in the US.

Unfortunately, in recent time, especially with illegal manufacture of the drug occurring in certain countries, most developed countries are concerned about a resurgence in use. Though the drug is not in as high demand as are other drugs like methamphetamines, heroin, or marijuana, it clearly is becoming a more popular recreational drug again.