Dexamyl (or Drinamyl) is the brand name of a combination drug composed of dextroamphetamine and amobarbital (the name of amylbarbitone was changed to amobarbital).
First introduced by Smith, Kline and French in 1950, Dexamyl (Drinamyl in the UK) 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) from around 1938. The amphetamine component contained in Dexamyl was intended to elevate mood, while the barbiturate component was added to counter the side effects of the amphetamine. Its name is a portmanteau of dextroamphetamine and amylbarbitone.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Dexamyl spansules became popular as a street drug upper, under the name "Christmas trees," a reference to its appearance—a clear and green capsule containing green and white "beads."
British Prime Minister Anthony Eden was addicted to dexamyl, which he was using to treat an abdominal infection. This allegedly impaired his judgement during the Suez crisis, and ultimately led to his ousting while he was recovering in Jamaica.
The Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs and the Food and Drug Administration decided to recall diet drugs which contained amphetamines, taking them off the market by June 30, 1973. Smith, Kline & French, producer of Dexamyl and Eskatrol, was excepted from an order banning interstate shipment of its drugs. The company asked for a hearing before the F.D.A. Dr. George C. Nichopoulos was indicted for prescribing Dexamyl and Preludin to singer Jerry Lee Lewis in May 1980. The physician was charged with prescribing the drugs knowing that the singer was addicted to them. Dr. Patrick A. Mazza, team physician for the Reading Phillies, said he prescribed Dexamyl, Eskatrol, Dexedrine, and Preludin for Steve Carlton, Larry Christenson, Tim McCarver, Pete Rose, Larry Bowa, and Greg Luzinski. Charges were dropped against Mazza, who contended the prescriptions were given in good faith, at the request of the baseball players.
Dexamyl was discontinued in the 1970s in favor of MAO inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants.