Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 January 2018
Mandrax (Roussel, Ltd.) is a combination of methaqualone 250 mg. and diphenhydramine 25 mg. and there have been several reports on its efficacy, as an hypnotic, which are cited by Derbez and Grauer (1967) and Haider (1968). It has been found to have approximately the same potency as various commonly used hypnotics, and it has been particularly recommended because of indications that overdosage is not associated with severe respiratory depression, as is the case with barbiturates (Lawson and Brown, 1967), and also because it does not reduce REM sleep as barbiturates do (Davison et al., 1970). It is stated to be particularly suitable for elderly patients. There is however, only one published trial on its use with patients with a variety of psychiatric diagnoses (Burke and Mahadevan, 1966); it is not specified in that report whether the patients were acute or chronic.
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