Tianeptine Reference

Plain English

What it is

Tianeptine is an antidepressant drug sold in some countries under the brand name Stablon. It is not approved by the FDA in the US. It works on the brain's opioid receptors, the same targets that opioid painkillers act on.

What people use it for

Outside the US it is prescribed for depression. In the US it has no approval and is widely misused for an opioid-like high, sold under street names like Zaza and Tianna Red, which is why people call it 'gas station heroin.'

What the science shows

It is used as a prescription antidepressant in some countries, but it is not approved by the FDA in the US. Because it acts on opioid receptors, large amounts can cause euphoria, strong addiction, and dangerous withdrawal.

The catch

This is one of the most dangerous products in this group. It can cause real addiction, overdose, and death, and stopping can bring on severe opioid-like withdrawal. The FDA has warned people not to use any tianeptine product, and many US states have made it a controlled substance.

Reference summary

European antidepressant literature is positive at therapeutic doses. Abuse / dependence at supratherapeutic doses (5-10× labeled) is extensively documented in US poison-center and case-report literature.

Regulatory and posture

Categories

Nootropic

Aliases

Stablon, Coaxil, Tatinol

Evidence posture

human - Not FDA-approved. Schedule II in multiple US states. FDA has issued explicit consumer warnings against 'gas station heroin' tianeptine products. Abuse and dependence at supratherapeutic doses are extensively documented; cold turkey produces severe opioid-like withdrawal.

Regulatory status

No FDA-approved tianeptine drug label. Approved as an antidepressant in France, some EU and Latin American countries, and former-Soviet states. Schedule II in several US states (Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, Florida) due to abuse potential. FDA has issued multiple consumer warnings against tianeptine 'gas station heroin' products.

Content review status

research reference