FDA Advises Against 'Gas Station Heroin' Supplement Due to Health Risks; Why is Tianeptine Dangerous?

The US Food and Drug Administration is upping its warnings to advise consumers to avoid buying or taking tianeptine.

FDA Warnings Against Gas Station Heroin

Tianeptine, which is commonly known as gas station heroin, is a synthetic drug that is usually sold in powder or tablet form that can be purchased online and in gas stations, convenience stores, and smoke shops. The ingredient is also active in some products, including Za Za Red, Neptune's Fix, and Tianaa.

The drug is approved in certain countries as a prescription treatment for depression. It can mimic opioid actions like fentanyl. Because of this, it also poses similar risks for addiction, overdose, and withdrawal. It could also lead to seizures, psychosis, kidney damage, and even death.

Since 2022, the FDA has been actively warning consumers in the US to avoid tianeptine. However, vendors keep on promoting it as a dietary supplement even though the FDA explicitly says that tianeptine does not meet the statutory and standard definitions for a dietary ingredient and is not safe as an additive in food.

The Dangers of Tianeptine

Gas station heroin can stimulate the same receptors as opioids. When the drugs reach the brain through the blood, they bind to the mu opioid receptor that leads to euphoria and pain relief. It can also lead to dangerous effects, such as stopped or slowed breathing.

High tianeptine doses could trigger euphoric effects that are likened to heroin. It can also lead to a dissociative effect that resembles that of ketamine, which is an anesthetic for treating depression and post-traumatic stress disorder but has also been abused and misused as a street drug.

When products contain tianeptine, they are usually referred to as legal high drugs, or even gas station drugs.

Based on data taken from poison control centers, case reports, and clinical trials, tianeptine can typically lead to agitation. Other symptoms and conditions, such as high blood pressure, fast heart rate, drowsiness, nightmares, confusion, nausea, and dry mouth, could also accompany it.

In more serious cases, adverse effects could include stopped or slow breathing, heart arrhythmia, coma, or even death. When chronic users of the drug stop its use, they may typically experience withdrawal symptoms that resemble those of opioid withdrawal.

Moreover, consumers and users need to know that tianeptine-containing products do not follow good manufacturing practices. This implies that such products could have lead or other metal or microorganism contaminants. Other undisclosed drug ingredients could also be present. Whether unknowingly or knowingly, mixing active ingredients could heighten adverse risks.

Neptune's Fix Products Recalled

With the dangers posed by tianeptine, products of Neptune's Fix have been recalled all over the nation. All of the products of the brand, such as its Elixir, Extra Strength Elixir, and Tablets, are recalled due to the presence of tianeptine.

According to spokesperson Alicia Gambino from the New Jersey Poison Control Center, several bottles of products underwent testing. Some of the identified substances were two synthetic cannabinoids, kava, two plant cannabinoids, and tianeptine.

Individuals who bought the recalled items are advised to stop using them, destroy them, or return them to where they purchased it.

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