Tianeptine: 'Gas Station Heroin'

Tianeptine is an antidepressant approved in some European, Asian, and Latin American countries but not in the United States. Despite that, it has been sold for years at U.S. gas stations and smoke shops under brand names like 'Neptune's Fix,' 'Tianaa,' 'ZaZa,' and 'Pegasus' — marketed as a mood, energy, or focus supplement. At higher doses it binds to opioid receptors like a fast-acting opioid, with comparable addiction risk and withdrawal. The FDA, CDC, and multiple state health departments have issued warnings; several states have banned it outright since 2023.

Gas stations, smoke shops, convenience stores, and online supplement retailers. The packaging deliberately looks like an energy drink or nootropic, not a drug.

Tianeptine retail in the U.S. began appearing in the late 2010s and scaled through 2022–2024 with growing FDA warnings. A wave of ER visits and at least several deaths brought it into news cycles in 2023.

• Dependence develops within days of regular use. Withdrawal is severe — comparable to opioid withdrawal — and pushes users into prescription opioids or fentanyl alternatives.
• Naloxone (Narcan) only partially reverses tianeptine overdose. Severe overdoses require ICU-level care.
• Brand names rotate as states ban specific products. The compound name 'tianeptine' on any label is the constant — that is the one to look for.

• Rapid physical dependence and severe withdrawal.
• Overdose with respiratory depression, less responsive to standard naloxone dosing.
• Pivot to fentanyl-contaminated street opioids when tianeptine becomes unavailable.

• Check labels in the house, car, and backpack for 'tianeptine,' 'Neptune's Fix,' 'Tianaa,' 'ZaZa,' or 'Pegasus.' Treat any of them as a serious finding.
• Do not attempt cold-turkey withdrawal at home. Addiction-medicine clinicians can manage it safely with proper medications.
• If overdose is suspected, give naloxone and call 911 immediately. Multiple doses of naloxone may be needed.

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