Methaqualone is a sedative-hypnotic medication that was widely prescribed during the mid-20th century. It was marketed under various brand names, including Quaalude ( KWAY-lood) and Sopor, typically containing 300 mg of methaqualone per tablet. A combination drug known as Mandrax was sold primarily in Europe, containing 250 mg of methaqualone and 20 mg of diphenhydramine in a single tablet. Methaqualone belongs to the quinazolinone class of compounds. Its commercial production was discontinued in many countries during the mid-1980s due to widespread misuse, addiction, and associated public health concerns. However, methaqualone continues to be used as a recreational drug in certain places such as South Africa and elsewhere up to the present. In addition, methaqualone analogues with at least 100-fold greater potency than methaqualone itself such as mephenaqualone have emerged as novel designer drugs in the late 2010s and early 2020s.
