The drug, synthesized in the 1950s, was originally intended as an anti-malarial treatment, says James Adams, associate professor at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy. When doctors discovered what a great painkiller and sleep aid it appeared to be, they prescribed it for that instead.Soon, people discovered that it also released sexual inhibitions, particularly in men, and that when mixed with alcohol it produced a mellow euphoria. It also made it difficult if not impossible for an intoxicated woman to resist a man's advances.