Meprobamate (Did you know they name tranquilizers after New Jersey towns?)

Before the benzodiazepines (like Valium) became ubiquitous, chemists discovered that a wide array of molecules could really zonk you out. Chemists found themselves in heady times. They were isolating single molecules that had profound CNS effects - methaqualone (Quaalude), chloral hydrate (which is actually pretty close to hooch, really), ethchlorvynol (Placidyl - Rehnquist took too much of this for too long - at one point, he insisted to a physician the CIA was plotting against him because of the side effects of chronic use), various barbiturates, and meprobamate (Miltown), the subject of today's entry.

Tranquilizers seemed like panaceas at the time - they weren't mysterious teas, elixirs, or alcoholic beverages. Our boffins were isolating clean single molecules! They couldn't be bad! Let's give them to people stuffering from emotional pain! from ennui! from being a housewife!

Of course, we quickly learned that tranquilizers of any stripe had their dangers and addictive potential. The benzodiazepines were relatively safe, predictable, and the class had a wide array of potency and half-lives - Halcion and Versed have T_1/2s of two or three hours; Valium and Dalmane (or their active metabolites) have elimination half lives of up to 100-200 hours! For the most part, medicine settled on these.

Tolerance, dependence, withdrawal, and safety are still concerns (and the other drugs are still used, just less). Some newer nonbenzodiazepines are enjoying renewed attention - the class isn't necessarily the safest or best (or, more cynically, the class has been quite thoroughly patented and pharma has decided it's time to move on to greener pastures). See, for example, Ambien, which sold about $2B last year!

Still working on less-crappy images.