The US Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to purchase or use any tianeptine products, saying it continues to receive reports of severe adverse events, including death, linked to the substance.
Some lawmakers have urged FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf to take immediate action on the use of tianeptine products, citing the need for more research on its effects.
The antidepressant is prescribed in Europe, Asia and Latin America to treat major depressive disorder, according to the FDA. However, it is not approved for use in the US, and tianeptine products are often sold illegally online and at gas stations, vape shops and smoke shops.
In the US, tianeptine products are often marketed as dietary supplements that can improve brain function and treat conditions including anxiety, depression, pain and opioid use disorder, the FDA says.
Some people use tianeptine as an opioid alternative or to self-treat anxiety or depression, according to the FDA. Side effects may include agitation, drowsiness, confusion, sweating, rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, slowed or stopped breathing, coma and death.
Just a different perspective:
To me it’s not that this product (and others that contain similar active ingredients) look like poppers, vape liquid, or toys. It’s that they look very similar to and are marketed almost exactly like a myriad other perfectly legal herbal/natural/energy shot products that are typically regarded as being safe by the general public.
I’ve seen these products on shelves and I’ve never noticed them being marketed specifically as anti-depressants, that’s more of a pharmaceutical industry thing. Instead, they’re being marketed as mood enhancers, relaxation aids, and things like that – nearly identical to products that contain ingredients like passionflower or l-theanine, which may be of dubious efficacy but are otherwise relatively safe (with caveats).
Tianeptine and similar chemicals are not brand new things – I know for a fact that they and their dangers have been known and discussed in nootropic communities for quite some time. The general public may not have awareness of these things like they do about nicotine or alcohol, but I guarantee you the people who manufacture it are aware. I’m not even in favor of prohibition, but it’s almost comically evil of the people involved in this to not have their labels covered in warnings about the known risks and dangers of their product. But instead, they are relying on the fact that the general public isn’t particularly aware or informed about these ingredients and that consumers generally assume a food product like this is safe for consumption unless otherwise stated.