Tianeptine, found at convenience stores, at smoke shops and online, can mimic an opioid. It is among a growing class of substances that are difficult to control.

Often sold as a dietary supplement and promoted by retailers as a mood booster and focus aid, tianeptine is among a growing, unregulated class of potentially addictive products available in gas stations, convenience stores and smoke shops and across the internet. They typically include synthetic pharmaceuticals and plant-derived substances.

Some, like kratom and phenibut, can be addictive and, in rare cases, fatal. They often originate in other countries, including Indonesia and Russia, where they are commonly used, even prescribed, for mood management. But the Food and Drug Administration has not approved them as medicines in the United States.

“Tianeptine is an emerging threat,” said Kaitlyn Brown, clinical managing director of America’s Poison Centers, which represents and collects data from 55 centers nationwide. “We have people who are able to get a substance that’s not well regulated, that has abuse potential and that, in high doses, can cause similar effects to opioids, leading to really harmful outcomes.”

Tianeptine is a drug developed by French researchers in the 1960s as an antidepressant. It is approved in low doses for that use in many European, Asian and Latin American countries.

But at higher doses, it also works much as an opioid does, delivering short-lived euphoria. In the United States, many people take tianeptine under the widespread, mistaken belief that it is a safe alternative to street opioids like fentanyl or heroin, or even a way to taper off using them. On social media sites like Reddit, its merits are hotly debated, with more than 5,000 people subscribing to a “Quitting Tianeptine” forum.

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  • Corkyskog
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    10 months ago

    Tianeptine is a tricyclic antidepressant.

    However it’s an “atypical” tricyclic. So it also has some weird properties like activity on μ-opioid receptors. So in high doses you can achieve a very strong opioid high.

    Because it’s not an opoid, but an antidepressant with opoid properties the withdrawal from continuous high dosage usage are rumored to be legendary… and much worse than heroin. On forums users have described it as trying to kick a really bad Benzo addiction and opioid addiction at the same time… I would imagine it would be wise to withdraw with medical assistance.

    • Psythik@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      So I should stick to kratom, then. YMMV, but the only withdrawal effect I get from it is irritability. But I’m always angry so it’s not the end of the world. It helps my depression way better than antidepressants.

      • Corkyskog
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        10 months ago

        Yes, stick with Kratom. If you try to mimick the effects with Tianeptine, you’re going to have a bad time.

    • peopleproblems@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      As trying to kick a really bad Benzo addiction and opioid addition at the same time

      That sort of just sounds like most modern antidepressants. Cymbalta and Effexor give incredibly bad and powerful brain shocks if you miss a single dose. I imagine it’s like that, but with physical seizures

      • Corkyskog
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        10 months ago

        I think your close, just add extremely bad flu symptoms and nausea from the opioid side and you got a pretty close guess as to what hell you would endure.