'Gas Station Heroin' Causing Overdoses Around PA: What To Know

HARRISBURG, PA — Officials are warning Pennsylvanians about a new, widely available but unapproved drug nicknamed "gas station heroin" that is seeing an increase in use around the country.

The drug, tianeptine, has already been linked to hundreds of overdoses and deaths, and the actual number is likely much higher due to underreporting, officials say.

"As the use of this drug becomes more prevalent, it is imperative that we act to protect our constituents and prohibit the trafficking of this dangerous substance on our streets," State Rep. Andrew Kuzma (R-Allegheny and Washington), who plans to introduce legislation to prohibit the sale of the drug, said in a statement.

Technically classified as an anti-depressant, tianeptine gives users a sense of euphoria similar to heroin, fentanyl, and other more widely known and illegal street narcotics. Like those drugs, tianeptine is highly addictive and extremely harmful, according to health experts. Unlike those drugs, it's not yet illegal, and it is used as a prescription drug in parts of Europe and Latin America.

However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not approve it for any medical use.

Tianeptine has been around since at least 2010, and saw an uptick in interest as the opioid crisis intensified and users sought out cheaper alternatives, according to officials. Critics of the FDA say the agency knew about the dangers of the drug for nine months before releasing an official statement, according to an investigation by Consumer Reports.

In the meantime, various companies developed all sorts of marketing gimmicks around tianeptine, "making dangerous and unproven claims that tianeptine can improve brain function and treat anxiety, depression, pain, opioid use disorder, and other conditions," the FDA said. It's often sold in gas stations or related service stores, hence its nickname.

Some companies even claim that tianeptine can treat "opioid use disorder," which officials point out as especially pernicious.

"Reliance on products with unsubstantiated claims may delay those who suffer from OUD from entering recovery and may put them at greater risk of overdose and death," the FDA added.

Texas and Michigan have recently passed laws banning the drug. Kuzma wants Pennsylvania to be next.

"As you are undoubtedly aware, overdose deaths have skyrocketed in our nation in recent years," he added, referencing the other states that have banned the sale and manufacture of the drug. "I believe it is time that we do (outlaw) the same."

Despite the FDA warnings and numerous dispatches from the Department of Justice, there has been little state-level action. The Pennsylvania Department of Health has not issued any public statement on the substance. Patch has reached out to the agency for comment.