What is today’s equivalent of quaaludes?

Methaqualone became increasingly popular as a recreational drug in the late 1960s and 1970s, known variously as "ludes" or "sopers" (also "soaps") in the U.S. and "mandrakes" and "mandies" in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

The drug was more tightly regulated in Britain under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and in the U.S. from 1973. It was withdrawn from many developed markets in the early 1980s. In the United States it was withdrawn in 1982 and made a Schedule I drug in 1984. It has a DEA ACSCN of 2565 and in 2013 the aggregate annual manufacturing quota for the US was 10 grams. Mention of its possible use in some types of cancer and AIDS has periodically appeared in the literature since the late 1980s; research does not appear to have reached an advanced stage. The DEA has also added the methaqualone analogue mecloqualone (also a result of some incomplete clandestine syntheses) to Schedule I as ACSCN 2572, with zero manufacturing quota.

Gene Haislip, the former head of the Chemical Control Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), told the PBS documentary program Frontline: "We beat 'em." By working with governments and manufacturers around the world, the DEA was able to halt production and, Haislip said, "eliminated the problem".[16][17][18] Methaqualone was manufactured in the United States under the name Quaalude by the pharmaceutical firms Rorer and Lemmon with the numbers 714 stamped on the tablet, so people often referred to Quaalude as 714's, "Lemmons", or "Lemmon 7's". Methaqualone was also manufactured in the US under the trade names Sopor and Parest. After the legal manufacture of the drug ended in the United States in 1982, underground laboratories in Mexico continued the illegal manufacture of methaqualone throughout the 1980s, continuing the use of the "714" stamp, until their popularity waned in the early 1990s. Drugs purported to be methaqualone are in a significant majority of cases found to be inert, or contain diphenhydramine or benzodiazepines.

Illicit methaqualone is one of the most commonly used recreational drugs in South Africa. Manufactured in clandestine, often unsanitary labs mainly in India, it comes in tablet form but is smoked with marijuana; this method of ingestion is known as "white pipe". [19][20] It is also popular elsewhere in Africa and in India.

I was never happier than when I did quaaludes. The 1970s was the best time of my life. They take away everything that makes life enjoyable. Now I only enjoy wine, cocktails, and the occasional rent boy. I hope I’m dead before they are able to take those away, because if they do, I might as well be.

So why was it no longer made? If you quit making every drug that people overused there would be a very long list.

What did if feel like to be on ludes? I was busy using psychedelics.

I was a soapers addict, r3. Ultimately, taking them makes life unlivable if you actually have stuff you have to do. You need to take more and more of them as the addiction progresses, and it just fucks your life up completely.

6-pack in a pill :)

They felt NOTHING like drinking beer. Far superior. On quaaludes, I felt blissful.

The sedative–hypnotic activity of methaqualone was first noted in the 1950s. In 1962, methaqualone was patented in the US by Wallace and Tiernan.[1] Its use peaked in the early 1970s for the treatment of insomnia, and as a sedative and muscle relaxant.

I got soooooooooo relaxxxxxxxxxxxxed in 1971-72.

I've been sober (no alcohol, no drugs) since 1983. Except for the occasional thought of cooking with wine, I never miss alcohol. But oh, how I wish I could take a couple of soapers sometimes.

So what do they is use now for sedative–hypnotic activity along with muscle relaxing?

I was at The Clash on Broadway and took a quaalude. No memory of their performance.

Rorer 714 NYC

Mandrax London

Had a constant stash

Mainly from Dr. Feel Good in London treating me for my “insomnia “

I'm an insomniac, too, r13. I wake up anytime between 1:30 and 3:30. I wonder if this means we were predisposed to take Quaaludes.

Does Xanax compare?

No, Xanax compares to Valium, and Valium was never as pleasurable as Quaaludes.

714s! That brings me back some fun memories. I doubt they have anything like them now.

The DEA said that it "fixed the problem ". But really, where qualudes actually a problem? So many puritans get angry at anything that brings joy.

[quote]But really, where qualudes actually a problem?

Where? With me, wherever I might have been at the time. They were SO addictive. Taking them ruined my life for a spell.

They're still huge in South Africa, where they're produced in illegal labs.

SOMA

I still can't understand why they were banned. So they were highly addictive. So are opiods & Klonopin but they haven't been taken off the market.

Blissed out on sopers in the early '70s, my then-boyfriend and I tried to set a record for the longest kissing. It was one of the most languidly pleasurable experiences of my life.

I took a roofie and I imagine it to be a similar experience

I don’t feel anything from Xanax. I don’t get why people like it.

[R14] [R13] here. Nah. Not predisposed. I just liked getting high. My M.O. was on an empty stomach pop a quaalude or mandrax, have a drink or 4 then snort some cocaine ( when it was available).

I had some other pills I got in Germany, forgot what they were called. They were some kind of uppers I think. I went through an experimental phase but fortunately never got addicted.

Did them exactly once. It was a phenomenal experience. Two guys who were a couple and friends of a friend. Went home with them when I was car shopping. They were ... adorable. No other word for it, and it was Summer 1981. I was looking at Ford LTD. Seriously.

It was early on a Saturday afternoon, and one of the guys offered me a quaalude. I usually said no to everything: I didn’t smoke, barely drank and used not drugs of any kind. But he convinced me and we wound up having non stop sex for the next 24 hours.

Never did them again, I don’t remember everything that happened and I wish I did because what I do remember was a lot of fun. That’s what I don’t like: that I don’t remember everything.

Oh, FFS, r22. Call the DEA and ask them. (202) 307-7977.

R11 - try Soma

I thought they were banned because of their reputation as a date-rape drug... Roman Polanski’s victim and one of the Bay City Rollers claimed they were given ludes before being raped, and it turned out that Bill Cosby also gave ludes to HIS victims back in the 70s.

Phenubit. It's legal in the US. Must be very careful when indulging in phenubit.

Did you ever notice on “Roseanne,” the street address of their house was 714? I always wondered if that was someone’s little joke.

I wonder if the address of the “Roseanne” revival was 5401, lol.

On the Karen Carpenter thread, someone mentioned 'ludes really fucked up Richard.

Also that his Mom was the first to give him one...

Karen Carpenter was always a favorite singer of mine. I can remember being at a party and taking quaaludes with her records playing while being serviced by a gentleman and thinking "This must be what heaven feels like."

I come from South Africa where "mandrax" is still a big thing. But it's considered a poor, person of color drug so most white people stay away from it. Kind of like coke and crack. If only I knew then... sigh

That does sound pretty good, R35.

What r19 said is true. What you find in SA now is worthless. I miss them very much.

Quaaludes were everywhere in my now eldergay day. Suddenly, it was like the neutron bomb agreement...every country banned them. They were glorious, though I was careful with them. There is nothing I have tried since that comes at all close.

I feel a bit bad for people who didn't get to find out what that high was like. Then again, you can't miss what you never had, so perhaps best in the long run.

SORRY! I referenced the wrong reply, I meant what r36 said, though it's not even THAT good from what I tried fairly recently.

Well why don't you try to describe it for us r38?

Are you talking about this, r31?

r16 I’ve been scripted Xanax for about 20 years. Never, ever felt the euphoria newbies report, just a mild emotional “smoothing.”

And now that Ben is are the new BAAAD!, it looks like my script will be discontinued shortly.

Fuck it all.

Err, R16 here... fucking spellcheck...BENZIES.

No, thank you -- I'll stick with my Miltowns.

Instagramming a filtered selfie for 100 likes.

They kind of sound like a *high* you might get from taking too much Ambien, which after all, is today's version of a hypnotic.

[quote]So why was it no longer made?

People were having too much fun.

Legalize all the drugs.

Flexeril is really mellow and smooth. Takes me to a happy place. Like that feeling of innocence, ease and joy in childhood- before the stress of relationships, mortality and crushing responsibilities hit

Yes. Phenubit. It's legal and Russian. It wont be legal for long. Cant take it more than twice in a week or you will feel like dog shit. Its dangerous.

2 quaaludes and a shot and I was set for the night.

Flexeril is a muscle relaxer

R42 - same here. Have had a Xanax prescription for 20+ years. I’m scared of when my shrink retires. I use them a few nights a week to sleep for work. Never use them to get high. But they are cracking down on everything now. Ridiculous. Let us eldergays use what we need.

I did not drink when I was addicted to Quaaludes, Tuinals, Seconals, and the like. I was too young.

A bf told me once I'd be a total pass-around buttboy if I ever got high on ludes. Way to make me curious...

[quote]I was at The Clash on Broadway and took a quaalude. No memory of their performance.

I was cold sober when I saw that performance and I have no memory of it either.

[quote]Methaqualone was first synthesized in India in 1951

That alone tells you the whole story

Methaqualone In popular culture

[quote]Have had a Xanax prescription for 20+ years. I’m scared of when my shrink retires.

That means you're an addict, and whoever prescribed them to you needs to have his/her license revoked.

Ask R1 for the time of day and he'll tell you how to make a clock.

Never into 'ludes, but liked Black Beauties.

Quaaludes were the best drug I ever had. Made me feel so good and relaxed and no worries uet still in control of myself. Pleasant euphoria and never had any after effects. This was in the mid 1970s.

"That means you're an addict, and whoever prescribed them to you needs to have his/her license revoked."

The "revoke the license" troll is back.

I have a 70 year old friend who told me (after a few drinks) that he had a "Lude Baby" somewhere out there. He is Way Gay, but was high on Qualauudes and got a young woman (also on ludes) pregnant. He scouted out parents to adopt the baby girl (who was named "Crystal" which is, coincidentally, his current drug of choice).

He has no idea what happened to the baby, but from his history and what he described as the mother's history, I have a feeling the girl lived up to her name. He never spoke of the baby again, but does now and then speak fondly of quaaludes.

The FDA and drug companies were probably paving the way for the rise of opioids.