Tianeptine, or ‘Gas Station Heroin,’ Causes Intense Withdrawals And It’s Mostly Legal
▻https://www.vice.com/en/article/88q3va/tianeptine-gas-station-heroin-legal-in-most-states
Tianeptine is an antidepressant. But it’s being sold in the U.S., especially at gas stations, as a dietary supplement and functions like an opioid.
The antidepressant Tianeptine is sold as a dietary supplement—legal in all but a handful of states. But it functions like a highly addictive opioid.
The FDA warned last February that the pills—known as “gas station heroin” and not approved for medical use in the US—are associated with serious harm, overdoses, and death.
They’re easily found in gas stations and online under names like ZaZa Red and Tianna.
Most contain proprietary blends, making the ingredients a mystery—yet it doesn’t seem to be on mamy researchers’ radars yet.
A version called TD Red ensnared Hunter Barnett, who likened the pills to a mix of Percocet and cocaine—and said the withdrawal was worse than what he experienced coming off opioids like oxycodone, fentanyl, and buprenorphine.
“I wish I would have never touched them,” said Barnett.
Barnett celebrated his 10-day detox by taking 12 pills—but said he’s planning to move to Alabama, where Tianeptine is banned.