Methaqualone

The main danger of drugs, which are, in fact, medical products, is that most of them can be bought at a pharmacy. No recipes can stop addicts wishing to receive the next dose of “dope”. Among pharmacy drugs recognized as narcotic in the Russian Federation, methaqualone, which has a number of names, such as Raxidorm, Melsed, Motolon, Ortonal and others. The Americans came up with a more original name for it – “disco biscuit”, because this drug is very popular at parties and discos.

What is methaqualone

Metaqualone is a sedative, and it was created for people with insomnia. In fact, this is a sleeping pill of the quinazolinone class, and its chemical formula is C16H14N2O. In its pure form, this preparation is a white crystalline powder, but it enters the final consumer in the form of tablets with a dosage of 0.2 grams. The drug is practically insoluble in water and alcohol.
History of methaqualone

Scientists in the middle of the last century tried to find an effective sleeping pill that can replace barbiturates, and methaqualone became such a drug. It was invented in 1951 by Indian scientists, but for a completely different purpose – this substance was originally intended for the treatment of malaria. After about 10 years, methaqualone “crossed” the Indian border and ended up in Europe, where it was widely used, as it turned out to be a good sleeping pill that can replace barbiturates.

It was also noted that the drug has anesthetic properties and has a sedative effect. Meanwhile, it soon turned out that this substance was highly toxic, and moreover, they began to talk more and more about the consequences of an overdose. Society, however, underestimated the threat, and in the meantime, the drug was in increasing demand, although it was almost never used for medical purposes.

The popularity of methaqualone is supposedly based on an increase in sexuality, especially in combination with alcohol, but in this case the harmful effect of the drug on the human body only intensified. Only in 1984 was it recognized as a narcotic substance, and its free sale was banned.

Action of methaqualone

Methaqualone, unlike other narcotic substances, acts asleep, and a person falls asleep after using it after 15 minutes, and can sleep for 8 hours or more. A calming effect is also noted, in addition, the drug, although to a small extent, has an anti-cold effect. As for sexual activity, this is a moot point – in some it increases libido, in others, on the contrary, sexual desire decreases. The effect of methaqualone increases the combined use with barbiturates and codeine, however, addiction in this case is faster.

How to recognize a person using methaqualone

Methaqualone, despite its medicinal properties, is a powerful drug, and its constant use leads to the appearance of dependence. To prevent unpleasant consequences, it is necessary to begin treatment at an early stage of the disease, and for this you need to know the signs by which you can find out that a person is using methaqualone:

– redness of the eyes, and they seem to be filled with blood;
– yellow spots on the hands;
drowsiness and frustration;
bloating and vomiting;
-loss of appetite;
-increased salivation.

It is also worth noting the large number of side effects of methaqualone consumption. Usually it is well absorbed by the body, but often causes vomiting, which occurs as a result of a violation of the digestive system. The absorption of the drug occurs in the stomach, while it is broken down in the liver and without residue. Methaqualone purposefully acts on the centers of the central nervous system responsible for inhibitory mechanisms.

Therefore, it is extremely undesirable to take the drug for people with digestive problems, although experts believe that in any case, doing this without consulting a doctor is not worth it. In addition, prolonged abuse of the drug can lead to photophobia and tooth decay.
Addiction development

The consequence of abuse of any narcotic drug is addiction, but if we talk about methaqualone, then there is a dual opinion among specialists. Some believe that the drug itself is not addictive, and dependence is formed due to other psychotropic substances. Most experts, on the contrary, are sure that with prolonged use there is a desire to increase the dose, which leads to dependence on the psychological and physiological level.

Effects of methaqualone

Taking methaqualone, it is worthwhile to understand that it has a synthetic origin. This means that uncontrolled administration of the drug can lead to a number of undesirable consequences. From them:

chronic respiratory diseases;
– serious violations in the digestive tract;
-epilepsy;
anxiety, depression and other mental disorders.

If you take the drug at the same time as alcohol, the list of harmful effects can be continued for a long time. In particular, there are problems with the heart and blood vessels, respiratory function is impaired, sexual impotence occurs. If you do not provide a person with timely medication, he may fall into a coma and die.