Dexamyl

Dexamyl (or Drinamyl in the UK) is the brand name of a combination drug composed of amobarbital (previously called amylbarbitone) and dextroamphetamine.

First introduced in 1950 by Smith, Kline and French, Dexamyl was marketed as an antidepressant medication that did not cause agitation, and also as an anti-anxiety drug and diet drug. Amphetamine alone had previously been marketed as an antidepressant (under the Benzedrine Sulfate brand) beginning around 1938. The amphetamine in Dexamyl was intended to elevate mood, while the barbiturate was added to counter the side effects of the amphetamine. Its name is a portmanteau of dextroamphetamine and amylbarbitone.

The British Prime Minister Anthony Eden was prescribed dexamyl; he was using it to treat his abdominal pain. It has been suggested that the drug impaired his judgement during the Suez crisis. The failure of his Suez policies led to his ousting while he was recovering in Jamaica.

In Britain during the early 1960s, the drug was taken by "tired housewives", and was also abused by youths who took excessively large doses and nicknamed the triangular blue tablets "purple hearts". This became a celebrated part of the Mod subculture. The main character of the film of Quadrophenia by The Who is shown taking purple hearts at a party, then subsequently appearing to suffer an attack of amphetamine psychosis.