Looking at Dangerous OTC Drugs Sold Across the United States
Those seeking answers about a loved one’s drug addiction may read this title and pause. What is gas station heroin? More importantly, you might consider why a potentially dangerous substance is available at convenience stores or gas stations.
The products labeled “dietary supplements” are not technically heroin. However, they have similar opioid-like effects and come right off store shelves. These products do not have any legitimate medical use.
If you or someone you love is abusing gas station heroin or another unregulated dietary supplement, the team at Purpose Healing Center can help at our Phoenix and Scottsdale rehab facilities.
We understand that one of the most dangerous side effects of these products is that they can be highly addictive. Unfortunately, they are widely available at smoke shops and gas stations around Arizona, and few consumers realize just how treacherous many of these substances can be.
We invite you to read on to learn about ‘gas station heroin’ and other dietary supplements that cause addiction and have prompted calls to poison control centers across Arizona and the United States.
Tianeptine Products or Gas Station Heroin: Dangerous Dietary Supplements
Tianeptine is the product most commonly referred to as gas station heroin and is a legal pharmaceutical drug in many countries in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Where tianeptine is a legal substance, doctors prescribe it to treat anxiety and depression.
However, tianeptine has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to be prescribed for any medical use. Tianeptine becomes highly addictive when used in the amounts and frequencies that many users are accustomed to in the United States.
Tianeptine Use in the United States
Tianpetine products are considered a dietary supplement in the United States. The most frequent brand names of tianeptine you’ll find at convenience stores and through online venues are Za Za Red, Tianna, Neptune’s Fix, or Coaxil.
It’s worth noting that Neptune’s Fix Tablets had a voluntary recall in January of 2024, after receiving FDA warnings about possible misuse and accidental poisonings. The FDA also reports that 11 states acted to make tianeptine products a Schedule I or Schedule II substance.
Arizona is not yet among those states.
Manufacturers market tienpetine as a helpful mood enhancer, pain reliever, and stress reducer. The dietary product category makes it seem harmless. But the effects of tianeptine products are more powerful than those of most over-the-counter competitors you might find on drug store shelves.
Also, the lack of FDA-issued approvals means tianeptine has not undergone the required safety and testing process for prescription drugs. That lack of proper testing and labeling can lead to dosing errors or accidentally consuming contaminated tianeptine products.
Why Tianeptine Is Called Gas Station Heroin
Tianeptine has earned the moniker “gas station heroin” for its opioid-like effects. It acts on the brain’s opioid receptors, specifically the mu-opioid receptors. Those are the same receptors that opioid painkillers like heroin and morphine.
As tolerance to tianeptine builds, the user needs higher doses for the same effect. The tianeptine starts to change the brain function and reward system, a mechanism similar to developing an opioid use disorder.
The methods we use at Purpose Healing Center to treat opioid use disorder are very similar to how we resolve addiction to tianeptine.
Dangerous Ingredients in the Dietary Supplement Start an Addictive Cycle
Because of its similarity to heroin and pain medications, tianeptine use can quickly trap people who abuse it in the spiral of addiction. They grow tolerance and start taking higher doses to keep getting the same relief and to avoid the withdrawal symptoms.
The increasing doses can lead to overdosing, with many similarities to an opioid overdose. The signs of overdosing on tianeptine are:
- Sedation/extreme drowsiness
- Confusion or disorientation
- Respiratory depression; slowed or shallow breathing; blue tint to the lips
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Low blood pressure
- Restlessness
- Rapid heartbeat
- Seizures
Like opioids, tianeptine depresses the central nervous system and can be life-threatening. Despite these risks, there has been little effort to protect consumers.
Tianeptine Withdrawal Symptoms (Similar to Opioids)
Because tianeptine is similar to opioids, it can have similar withdrawal symptoms when trying to stop using it. Although taineptine is marketed to consumers with natural products, it is not safe to quit the drug without professional help.
Here are the symptoms you might experience when quitting this over-the-counter medication:
- Anxiety
- Agitation
- Irritability
- Depression
- Restlessness
- Muscle aches and cramps
- Tremors
- Sweating
- Drug cravings
- Insomnia
- Rapid heartbeat
- High blood pressure
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Chills
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Difficulty concentrating or focusing
- Panic attacks
- Severe cravings
- Paranoia
- Hallucinations
- Seizures (in severe cases)
People should quit this supplement in a medical detox setting, especially if taking very high doses.
At Purpose Healing Centers in Scottsdale and Phoenix, our medical Arizona detox setting and professional healthcare clinicians will treat withdrawal with a similar protocol to quitting opioids, due to the overlapping properties and symptoms.
In worst-case scenarios, the symptoms can lead to spending time in intensive care units or death.
Other Gas Station Supplements to Avoid
You will find other products in powder or pill form on glossy acrylic racks inside convenience stores. They’re usually near the cash register.
Here are other things not classified as pharmaceutical drugs, not controlled substances. Regardless, these substances result in poison control calls and overdoses.
Kratom: Reported Effective for Pain Relief
Kratom is also sold at many gas stations, often near supplements or food additives. These natural tree leaves are generally recognized as a pain reliever in Southeast Asia, where they originated. But it’s a product of concern for American agencies, including the DEA.
Like tianeptine, Kratom mixtures interact with the brain’s opioid receptors and can quickly turn to substance abuse.
Withdrawal from Kratom can lead to anxiety, restlessness, muscle aches, runny nose, intense cravings, and joint pain.
Phenibut to Treat Depression
Phenibut is a central nervous system that was falsely marketed as safe for depression, stress, and anxiety. Created in Russia in the 1960s, it produces calming effects by stimulating GABA receptors in the brain.
It carries a high risk of tolerance and physical dependency. It can also lead to overdoses, which can include loss of consciousness and impaired motor skills.
The FDA reports how they sent warning letters to those selling retailers who have marketed Phenibuts to consumers, falsely implying that they were FDA-approved antidepressant supplements.
Despite that, manufacturers appear to ignore the federal warnings and continue marketing the addictive antidepressant to an unsuspecting public. However, it’s usually illegally sold online today, not in gas stations.
How We Help Tianeptine Abuse
Purpose Healing Center offers two Joint Commission-accredited recovery centers in the Grand Canyon State. We’ve helped many patients overcome an addiction problem, and we can help you!
Our entire staff is highly qualified and compassionate, with licensed therapists. The upscale environment at our Arizona substance abuse treatment center provides for your comfort, allowing you to focus on getting well without distractions or unnecessary discomfort.
We offer a full continuum of services to help you at every step of your recovery. Some treatments we can provide you include:
- Medical Detox: We minimize your discomfort while withdrawing from tianeptine by administering FDA-approved medications to relieve any reported symptoms. This process keeps clients safe as the substances metabolize.
- Medication-assisted Treatment: Opioids and similar substances often require FDA-approved medications to step down from their substance of choice. As clients make progress during recovery, they can gradually taper down until total cessation of the medications.
- Medication Management: Some people have additional mental health disorders that must receive treatment to heal the tianeptine addiction. Our doctor will find the appropriate medication and right dosage to help you free yourself from both the underlying disorder and using tianeptine.
- Inpatient or Outpatient Care: Tianeptine use does not always mean inpatient treatment. Many choose the outpatient center and enjoy greater flexibility. If you have questions about which is the right placement for your needs, call our admissions team.
Connect With Purpose Healing to Get Help for Opioid-Like Drugs
Most people take dietary supplements innocently, not understanding that they lack an FDA stamp of approval. And many of us, as consumers, don’t know about the FDA process of reports, testing, and quality control that go on before a product can be approved.
We see it on a shelf, claiming to solve all manner of problems. But before too long widely available ‘supplements’ like tianeptine, kratom, or phenibut can become serious problems in their own right.
Purpose Healing Center’s programs can help manage withdrawals comfortably and set you or your loved one who is struggling with these sorts of substances on a path to lasting recovery.
If you are ready for a fresh start, our team can help. Call our caring Admissions team today.
480-579-3319