n. one of the drugs introduced into the U.S. market in the early 1950s as an alternative to the barbiturates. It was commonly and widely prescribed in the 1950s and 1960s for daytime sedation and the treatment of anxiety. Meprobamate is a less potent respiratory depressant than the barbiturates unless taken in combination with other CNS depressants, such as alcohol and opioids. Like the barbiturates, use of meprobamate has been almost completely supplanted by the benzodiazepines. U.S. trade name: Miltown. See also sedative, hypnotic, and anxiolytic drug.