Officials Warn About Supplements With 'Gas Station Heroin' Sold In MA

MASSACHUSETTS — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning about supplements containing a drug known as "gas station heroin" sold online and in stores in Massachusetts and nationwide after instances of severe adverse effects and death were reported.

The company that makes the products, Neptune Resources, LLC, has voluntarily recalled its Neptune's Fix Elixir, Neptune's Fix Extra Strength Elixir, and Neptune's Fix Tablets, according to the FDA.

The products contain tianeptine, which is not approved by the FDA for any medical use but is sold as an antidepressant drug and can be purchased in elixir formulations online or at gas stations and convenience stores, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Side effects of the drug include irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, seizures, and cardiac arrest, the CDC said.

"[The] FDA has received severe adverse event reports after use of Neptune's Fix products, including seizures and loss of consciousness leading to hospitalization," officials wrote in a news release in November, months before the recall was issued.

The FDA sent a letter on Jan. 11 to convenience stores, gas stations, and other organizations urging retailers to stop selling Neptune's Fix and any other tianeptine-containing products.

Twenty cases of tianeptine ingestion associated with severe clinical effects were reported in New Jersey between June and November of last year, "representing a sharp increase from the poison center’s baseline of two or fewer exposure calls per year," according to the CDC.

At least nine states have banned or severely restricted tianeptine, including Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Indiana and Ohio, Forbes reported.

Officials urge anyone who suffers a bad reaction to any tianeptine product to seek immediate medical help.