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Methaqualone (MQL)


Rapid CDIATM Methaqualone Test kits are intended to screen for the presence of methaqualone in human urine.

Methaqualone is a sedative-hypnotic drug that is similar in effect to barbiturates. The sedative-hypnotic activity was first noted by Indian researchers in the 1950s. Its use peaked in the early 1970s as a hypnotic, for the treatment of insomnia, and as a sedative and muscle relaxant. It has also been used illegally as a recreational drug. In 1965 a Methaqualone/antihistamine combination was sold as the sedative drug Mandrax, by Roussel Laboratories (now part of Sanofi-Aventis). Methaqualone is a depressant that increases the activity of the GABA receptors in the brain and nervous system. When GABA activity is increased, blood pressure drops and the breathing and pulse rates slow, leading to a state of deep relaxation. Methaqualone peaks in the bloodstream within several hours, its effects generally lasting four to eight hours. Regular users build up a physical tolerance, requiring larger doses for the same effect. Overdose can lead to nervous system shut down, coma and death.

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