LICR Blog

Addiction Drug Overview: What Is “Gas Station Heroin”

April 24, 2025  |  Category: Addiction Treatment

Heroin and opioid addiction are part of a highly addictive and dangerous drugs epidemic effecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans. While inpatient addiction treatment centers such as Long Island Center for Recovery aim to help individuals reach sobriety and eliminate their substance abuse, government organizations such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) aim to put a stop to these harmful substances at the source. Despite progress and attempts by government organization such as these, their impact becomes increasingly difficult with the emergence of new substances in the space. One of those newer substances is “gas station heroin”, which has also been referred to as “ZaZa Red” or “Neptune’s Elixir” due to their common connection to the substance called tianeptine. Tianeptine or “gas station heroin” has emerged as a growing concern for Americans due to its similar side effects to that of opioids combined with the fact that it is not on the list of federally controlled substances and can be picked up at gas stations or online. Today we will explore a brief history of gas station heroin, some facts on this emerging drug, and how individuals should go about treatment if they themselves or know of individuals who are using gas station heroin.

What Is Gas Station Heroin and How Did It Come About?

• Before it was ever known as “gas station heroin” tianeptine was first commissioned in France during the 1980’s under the name Stablon, for use as an antidepressant.
• Tianeptine and the group of antidepressant drugs known as tricyclics grew in market to several other countries but feel out of popularity with the introduction of Prozac and other SSRI medications.
• Frances own Transparency Committee admitted that tianeptine’s mechanism of action was unknown, as studies showed that tricyclics and SSRIs both worked to target receptors such as serotonin, but tianeptine didn’t attach to those receptors as expected.
• A later study by Jonathan Javitch of Columbia University and the New York Psychiatry Institute found that tianeptine targeted opioid receptors as controls for pleasure and pain relief, activating the receptors similar to that of morphine, oxycodone, or fentanyl.
• Prior to any opioid link being confirmed, emergency calls started flowing in from countries with tianeptine in market. Stablon being the first, issued a warning in 2007 that individuals with history of substance abuse should be monitored.
• S. emergency calls for tianeptine increase on average from 2000-2013 to 2014 by over 2,000%, and as of 2023 are now over 30,000% higher than the initial average (According to American Poison Centers, in partnership with the CDC and state agencies)
• The first known tianeptine deaths in the United States were reported from Ohio in 2018, however there have been several other instances where those particular cases involved multiple substances).
• The DEA stated in 2024 that law enforcement agents have found tianeptine powder in bulk with drug dealers using the substance to make counterfeit hydrocodone and oxycodone pills, or to fill baggies made to resemble heroin packages.
• Despite growing concerns, tianeptine is only banned in a recorded 13 states at a similar level to cocaine or fentanyl but is still available for purchase in a majority of states.

Seeking Treatment For Gas Station Heroin Use

If you or a loved one has been using or used gas station heroin, or any other tianeptine products, it is recommended that you seek treatment at an inpatient addiction rehab facility such as Long Island Center for Recovery. Treatments at LICR are individualized based on specific clients and their cases, but gas station heroin would likely a similar treatment plans to individuals dealing with an opioid addiction.

We hope you now have a better understanding of what “gas station heroin” is and the risks associated this substance. If you or a loved one needs any additional assistance with addiction treatment services, please reach out to Long Island Center for Recovery at 1-800-344-5427, and we’d be happy to assist you or your loved ones in any way possible.

 

References:
NPR: 8 things to know about the drug known as ‘gas station heroin’
https://www.npr.org/2024/07/12/nx-s1-4865955/tianeptine-gas-station-heroin-drug

National Library of Medicine – National Center for Biotechnology Information: The atypical antidepressant and neurorestorative agent tianeptine is a μ-opioid receptor agonist
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4119213/

Posted in:   Addiction TreatmentDrug DetoxDrug RehabHeroin DetoxHeroin RehabOutpatient Rehab