Meprobamate (marketed under the brand names Miltown® by Wallace Laboratories, Equanil® by Wyeth, and Meprospan®) is a carbamate derivative which is used as an anxiolytic drug. It was the best-selling minor tranquilizer for a time, but has largely been replaced by the benzodiazepines.

History

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Meprobamate was first synthesized by Bernie Ludwig at Carter Products in May 1950. Wallace Laboratories bought the license and named it Miltown after the village Milltown in New Jersey. Launched in 1955, it rapidly became a best seller and famous in the popular media as "Happy Pills". This continued throughout the 1960s but by 1970 it was listed as a controlled substance after it was discovered to cause physical and psychological dependence.

Pharmacology

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Although it was marketed as being safer, meprobamate has most of the pharmacological effects and dangers of the barbiturates (though it is less sedating at effective doses). It is reported to have some anticonvulsant properties against absence seizures, but can exacerbate generalized tonic-clonic seizures.

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EMA recommends suspension of marketing authorisations for ...: The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommend... http://t.co/fE43opJg
s_m_angelique (Sandrine Angelique) Tue, 24 Jan 2012 07:56:59 -0000
EMA recommends suspension of marketing authorisations for ...: The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommend... http://t.co/fE43opJg
EMA Calls for Withdrawal of Certain Anxiety Medications http://t.co/b3aRpTc4 #meprobamate #HCSM
Dr_Butin (Richard Butin) Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:17:50 -0000
EMA Calls for Withdrawal of Certain Anxiety Medications http://t.co/b3aRpTc4 #meprobamate #HCSM
European regulators recommend suspending use of the sedative meprobamate. Drugs a Subscribe to Meprobamate RSS feed