{"id":8360,"date":"2026-03-27T01:50:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T01:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/?p=8360"},"modified":"2026-03-27T01:50:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T01:50:11","slug":"gas-station-heroin-banned-in-another-state-amid-nationwide-crackdowns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/?p=8360","title":{"rendered":"‘Gas station heroin’ banned in another state amid nationwide crackdowns"},"content":{"rendered":"

A dangerous substance dubbed “gas station heroin” continues to alarm medical professionals, with more states making moves to restrict or ban tianeptine.<\/p>\n

Fourteen states have officially classified the tricyclic antidepressant as a\u00a0Schedule I controlled substance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Connecticut is the latest state to crack down, officially banning the sale and use of the substance starting on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

HEALTH OFFICIALS WARN OF DANGEROUS SUBSTANCE AVAILABLE IN STORES ACROSS THE NATION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Tianeptine, which can\u00a0produce euphoria<\/a>\u00a0in higher doses, can be more potent than morphine and addictive opioids, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.<\/p>\n

Some countries have taken steps to restrict how tianeptine is prescribed or dispensed, and have even revised the labels to warn people of its potential addictive qualities.<\/p>\n

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Tianeptine can be more potent than morphine and addictive opioids.\u00a0(iStock)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Misuse of tianeptine can cause severe adverse health effects, including\u00a0respiratory depression<\/a>, severe sedation and death, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.<\/p>\n

Some companies market\u00a0the drug<\/a>\u00a0as an aid for pain, anxiety and depression, or as a means of improving mental alertness in a pill, powder, salt or liquid form.<\/p>\n

The products are typically sold at convenience stores, gas stations, vape shops and online retailers, and go by names like Tianaa, ZaZa, Neptune\u2019s Fix, Pegasus and TD Red.<\/p>\n

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Connecticut is the 15th state to classify tianeptine as a Schedule I controlled substance. (Markus Scholz\/picture alliance via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Connecticut Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said in a press release that the schedule change is a necessary step to combat addiction.<\/p>\n

“With false marketing that led consumers to believe these are safe products, and with candy-like flavor options, these substances posed a clear threat to those battling substance-use disorder and our\u00a0youngest residents<\/a>,” she added.<\/p>\n

The Nutmeg State also added Mitragyna speciosa (kratom), 7-hydroxymitragynine, Bromazolam, Flubromazolam, Nitazenes and Phenibut to the schedule classification.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, FDA Commissioner Martin Makary penned a letter sounding the alarm on what he called a “dangerous and growing\u00a0health trend<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

“I am very concerned,” Makary wrote. “I want the public to be especially aware of this dangerous product and the serious and continuing risk it poses to America\u2019s youth.”<\/p>\n

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New York-based Robert Schwaner, M.D., vice chair of system clinical affairs at Stony Brook Emergency Medicine, told Fox News Digital that the FDA has never approved tianeptine as a\u00a0dietary supplement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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“As with heroin and other opioids, significant mu-opioid receptor stimulation ultimately results in a loss of respiratory drive and subsequent cardiac arrest.”\u00a0(Dekalb County Sheriff’s Office)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“The euphoria at low doses is primarily due to increased serotonergic activity from its serotonin reuptake effects. With increasing doses, the mu-opioid receptor stimulation may become lethal,” said Schwaner. “As with heroin and other opioids, significant mu-opioid receptor stimulation ultimately results in a loss of respiratory drive and subsequent\u00a0cardiac arrest<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

Schwaner said he believes the substance requires national regulation due to its addictive qualities.<\/p>\n

“Acting at the same receptor as opioids, tianeptine has the potential for an individual to develop tolerance, subsequent dependence and withdrawal from its use,” he cautioned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A dangerous substance dubbed “gas station heroin” continues to alarm medical professionals, with more states making moves to restrict or ban tianeptine. Fourteen states have officially classified the tricyclic antidepressant… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[262,257],"tags":[4552,4553,4551,4554,4550],"views":42,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8360"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8360"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8364,"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8360\/revisions\/8364"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}