HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The Food and Drug Administration is sounding the alarm regarding the substance Tianeptine, sometimes referred to as “gas station heroin.”
The drug is approved for use as an antidepressant in some foreign countries. Still, it has never been FDA approved as a medication, food additive, beverage additive or dietary supplement in the United States. Selling such a product in the U.S. would be illegal.
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Regardless, manufacturers find a loophole by adding the drug to beverages and dietary supplements sold in convenience stores, as the FDA does not preapprove ingredients for either. Officials consider this the “grey area”, as supplements are not as regulated as medications in the U.S..
Dr. Luke Engeriser, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer with AltaPointe Health System, frequently studies addiction and has looked at the effects of Tianeptine for some time. He said the lack of regulation in this area is troubling…