Quaaludes

[Bruno]

I did some research on the drugs Richard was dependent on for some time.

Quaaludes is the North American slang for the chemical substance methaqualone.

Now, Richard always says, that Quaaludes are sleeping pills.

From what I have read, Quaaludes are far more than sleeping pills. It's more a sedativum, something you take against anxiety, perhaps stage fright, too. It seems to be similar to Valium and other benzodiazepines. Some people, like the british singer Curt Kobain, took it while experimenting with drugs. Small doses create a feeling of euphoria.

Anyway, I would be interested to know, if anybody knows more about these Quaaludes? I'm working in a hospital, but I've never seen those pills. Perhaps they don't sell them anymore? or not in Europe?

Bruno

curious online

 

[Rudy]

I believe the usage of drugs over time has changed. It could very well be that Quaaludes were a popular sleeping pill back in the 70's, but newer developments in drugs, and more awareness of what Quaaludes really are, may have heightened awareness that they are not really a good answer to sleeplessness.

That's just one theory. It could also very well be that Richard was prescribed Quaaludes for something beyond sleeplessness and, hence, became hooked.

 

[Harry]

The company that manufacturs Quaalude also makes Maalox, and borrowed the 'aa' naming convention from that popular product. It is thought that the rest of the name was to convey the phrase 'quiet interlude.'

See the dictionary definition here: http://www.bartleby.com/61/56/Q0005600.html

Harry
...who worked in a drug store several lifetimes ago, online...

 

[DAN BOLTON]

As I recall from the book, Richard was taking something to help him through a rough period that concerned touring and coming up with new material...and the drugs were a stopgap measure to keep him alert and focused. He wasn't getting any sleep anyway, and the drugs seemed to keep him going without it...they were never meant to be anything other than a short-term solution to what was thought to be a temporary problem, a crisis or trauma that he was trying to work through. The difficulty came when the drugs worked a little too well, and they were difficult to shake...almost impossible. They weren't really intended to make him calm, but to "keep him going" for a little while, until things slowed down. It was thought at the time, I guess, that there wouldn't be any harm in medicating someone this way.

In a way, it was almost like taking St John's Wort or Ritalin or something like that...those medications{I hesitate to call St John's Wort a medication, though...] can help focus a person's attention...but the side effects can be troublesome...they have a calming effect in that they "jog" the brain..the cerebral cortex, I think...into working more efficiently...but too much, too often can cause sleeplessness and restlessness. They can also increase depression and amplify feelings of rejection[in some cases]...


It's a dangerous game if it gets out of hand...and with Qaaludes, it seems like it was very easy to do just that...a lot of people had the problem.

Dan

 

[Captaindave]

Richard Carpenter probably said or thought what they ALL said or thought:
"No problem - just a temporary thing - I can handle it - it'll never get out of hand, cause I can handle it...yada,yada,yada,etc.,etc.,etc.," The number of people who said or thought the same thing and ended up in prison or in the cemetery are enormous. I have seen the devastation and destruction of lives up close and personal from a "casual" attitude toward drugs.
Drugs are a HUGE problem - maybe the biggest single problem to ever face this society.
The side effects from even the medically prescribed and supervised use of drugs - as alluded to in the post above - can be tremendous - let alone casual experimentation and self medicating.
I would encourage anyone, regardless of status, fame, or fortune to stay as far away from drugs as possible and find other solutions to problems.
Richard Carpenter is lucky, as far as I am concerned, that he is still living and/or not behind bars. I, personally, would rather give up everything, if the pressure of what I was doing was as great as apparently was Richard Carpenter's, than resort to drugs - because drugs can take it all away anyway...and the resulting devastation can be horrific.
However, to each his own...

 

[DAN BOLTON]

Amen, brother, and pass the plate!


Dan

 

[warren]

Hello! Being in the medical (and musical) profession I can tell you that "Quaalude" was the original brand-name of the drug - not a slang. I am sure that you are aware that here in the USA, drug manufacturers have an exclusive patent on a drug they create for 5 years, during which time only they can reap the benefit of it's legal manufacture and sale. It is a sort of trade-off to encourage the research and creation of new drugs for the market before it can be manufactured and sold by other companies under it's "generic" form.

Quaaludes were a hypnotic sedative that was actually used more often for the treatment of patients with severe pain than for sleep (eg: cancer patients.) Placidyl is more of a close comparison to it that Valium is (in my opinion - from just monitoring it's effects - no, I have never taken either.)

The manufacture of Quaaludes was discontinued some years ago (I do not recall precisely when) but it is no longer legally available - at least here in the USA.