Phenmetrazine has been used recreationally in many countries, for example Sweden. When stimulant use first became prevalent in Sweden in the 1950s, phenmetrazine was preferred to amphetamine and methamphetamine by users.[11] In the autobiographical novel "Rush" by Kim Wozencraft, intravenous phenmetrazine is described as the most euphoric and pro-sexual of the stimulants the author used.
Phenmetrazine was classified as a narcotic in Sweden in 1959, and was taken completely off the market in 1965. At first the illegal demand was satisfied by smuggling from Germany, and later Spain and Italy. At first, Preludin tablets were smuggled, but soon the smugglers started bringing in raw phenmetrazine powder. Eventually amphetamine became the dominant stimulant of abuse because of its greater availability.
Phenmetrazine was taken by The Beatles early in their career. Paul McCartney was one known user. McCartney's introduction to drugs started in Hamburg, Germany. The Beatles had to play for hours, and they were often given "Prellies" (Preludin) by the maid who cleaned their housing arrangements, German customers, or by Astrid Kirchherr (whose mother bought them). McCartney would usually take one, but John Lennon would often take four or five.[12] Hunter Davies asserted, in his 1968 biography of the band,[13] that their use of such stimulants then was in response to their need to stay awake and keep working, rather than a simple desire for kicks.
Preludin was also used recreationally in the U.S.A. throughout the 1960s and early '70s. It could be crushed up in water, heated and injected. The street name for the drug in Washington, D.C. was "Bam".[14] More recently phenmetrazine has continued to be abused around the world, in countries such as South Korea.[15]
