FDA Issues Warning Not to Use Tianeptine

There have been several warnings from the FDA and others for several years (going back to at least 2014) against using tianeptine. It’s used as an antidepressant in other countries, but “FDA is warning consumers not to purchase or use any Neptune’s Fix products, or any other product with tianeptine — a potentially dangerous substance that is not FDA-approved for any medical use but is illegally sold with claims to improve brain function and treat anxiety, depression, pain, opioid use disorder and other conditions.”

Tianeptine has been called other names including Neptune’s Fix, Zaza, Coaxil, Stablon, Tianna Red, and others.

It reportedly has been banned in several states. Southern Iowa Mental Health Center published an educational web page in 2022 indicating that a review between 2000 and 2017 found a sharp untick in tianeptine-related poisoning calls during that time period.

The web page also pointed out that “The study specifically noted that while the drug was implicated in just five poisoning calls back in 2014, that figure rose to 38 in 2015, 83 by 2016, and 81 by 2017. And most of those calls involved relatively young people, between the ages of 21 and 40.”

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Author: James Amos

I'm a retired consult-liaison psychiatrist. I navigated the path in a phased retirement program through the hospital where I was employed. I was fully retired as of June 30, 2020. This blog chronicles my journey.

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