'Gas station heroin:' Unregulated supplement widely available and linked to overdoses, deaths
The FDA and pharmacists are raising the alarm about the dangers of tianeptine. It is being dubbed ‘gas station heroin’ and has been linked to overdoses across the country.
Dr. Timothy Ives, a licensed pharmacist and professor with the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, explained tianeptine “was a tricyclic antidepressant when it was first started, but it also has opioid like effects.”
It is not available as a prescription product in the U.S., but some companies are falsely marketing it and selling it at gas stations and vape shops.
Sometimes it is sold as a powder or pill form. Other times you can find it in small bottles in a liquid form.
WRAL News went looking and found the product on store shelves locally. Two of the products were labeled as either a dietary supplement or a mood booster.
Ives is concerned that the lack of regulation means anyone could walk into a gas station and purchase it, regardless of age.
“As far as I know, this is totally unregulated,” he said. “They're there to sell things at gas stations and 7-Elevens. You can even get this stuff online, you don't even need to walk in. You can get this anywhere that sells it.”
According to the FDA, the substance has been linked to a rise in overdoses around the country. Nine states, including Tennessee and Georgia have banned tianeptine citing its dangerous effects.
The FDA warns the substance can be highly addictive and says those with a history of opioid-use disorder are particularly at risk.
Ives encourages anyone looking for a mood booster or a focus agent to talk to their primary care doctor instead of buying a product with tianeptine.
“If you're thinking about it, as a student for example, ‘I want to really get ready for midterms or final exams’, this isn't going to help,” said Ives. “Go see your primary care providers and talk about what the real issue is that you're having, and not use something over the counter or something totally unregulated to try to fix it on your own.”
The FDA asks consumers and healthcare professionals to report any instances of adverse effects to the agency.
