| METHAQUALONE:
 Glutethimide
(Doriden) was introduced in 1954 and methaqualone (Quaalude,
Sopor) in 1965 a safe barbiturate substitutes. Experience
showed, however, that their addiction liability and
the severity of withdrawal symptoms were similar to
those of barbiturates.
By 1972, "luding out," taking methaqualone
with wine, was a popular college pastime. Excessive
use leads to tolerance, dependence and withdrawal symptoms
similar to those of barbiturates. Overdose by glutethimide
and methaqualone is more difficult to treat than barbiturate
overdose, and deaths have frequently occurred. In the
United States, the marketing of methaqualone pharmaceutical
products stopped in 1984 and methaqualone was transferred
to Schedule I of the CSA. In 1991, glutethimide was
transferred into Schedule II in response to an upsurge
in the prevalence of diversion, abuse and overdose deaths.
[Abstracted from D.E.A. website q.v.]
| METHAQUALONE |
| Effects |
| Sedative hypnotic..... with a unique
specificity in regard to sexual disinhibition! |
| Incidence
of Abuse |
| Probably rare. |
| Chemical
Name |
| Methaqualone |
| Forms
and Street Names |
Methaqualone, under the trade name "Quaalude,"
was a widely prescribed sedative hypnotic in the
1970's. Because of its toxicity and the development
of the much safer benzodiazepines, it was removed
from the maket in 1983 and is now classified as
a Schedule I drug!
[no legal medical use in the U.S.] |
| Preferred
routes of administration |
| |
| Length
of time detectable after user |
| 2 - 4 days. |
| Metabolite
Actually sought in urine |
| Methaqualone |
| Confounding
drugs (or factors): |
| None known |
| Screening
Cut-off: |
| 300ng/ml |
| Confirmation
GC/MS Cut-off: |
| 300ng/ml |
| Facts
for Verifying M.R.O |
| Verification is straightforward because
Methaqualone is now Schedule I. Employers, however,
deserve to be told that including Methaqualone in
test panels has long been felt to be NOT ECONOMICALLY
JUSTIFIABLE! |
|
