FDA Warns Iowans About Ingesting ‘Gas Station Heroin’

Sure you may be cheap, but are you gas station heroin cheap?

The FDA has issued an urgent warning about products containing tianeptine.

The stuff is called 'gas station heroin' and is marketed as a "research chemical", a "nootropic" cognitive enhancer, or a dietary supplement. It's called 'gas station heroin' in part because it's often sold at gas stations or convenience stores.

One brand that the FDA warns about is Super Chill Products, which owns a drink called Neptune's Fix.

Other brands also include: Tianaa, Zaza, Pegasus, and TD Red.

Though they're marketed as being able to cure depression, ease anxiety, and treat pain and opioid use disorders, the FDA says that tianeptine is not approved for medical use and it does not "does not meet the statutory definition of a dietary ingredient". In fact, it's not even listed for being safe in food.

Tianeptine has been linked to overdoses and deaths, according to the FDA.

Medical literature reports show that U.S. consumers take in daily doses of 1.3 to 250 times the daily tianeptine dose that's typically recommended in labeled foreign drug products.

Tianeptine has also been linked to seizures and loss of consciousness. Besides gas stations and convenience stores, it's also found at vape and smoke shops.

The FDA urges you to not buy tianeptine products due to their dangerous nature. One concern is that the products may contain dangerous ingredients that are not listed on the label. Last year, there was a recall on Neptune's Fix products from distributor Super Chill.