‘Gas station heroin’ supplement and opioid alternative causing seizures, other serious reactions, FDA warns

Federal officials issued a stark warning about an easily found supplement known as “gas station heroin” after it caused users to have seizures and lose consciousness.

Neptune’s Fix — aka “gas station heroin” — contains 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,” the Food and Drug Administration said this week.  

The products — which can be found at convenience stores, gas stations, vape and smoke shops or online and come in tasty-sounding flavors like chocolate vanilla, cherry, lemon and tropical  — could also contain other “harmful” ingredients, the agency warned, adding that it is testing the items for concerning additives. 

“Consumers who experience a bad reaction to any tianeptine product should seek immediate medical help,” the FDA said.

Serious reactions have included seizures and loss of consciousness leading to hospitalization, the FDA said. Other symptoms have included vomiting and hallucinations, according to CBS News. 

Tianeptine, which is illegal in the US and is also sold under the names Tianaa, ZaZa Red and Pegasus, is used as an opioid substitute in some Asian, European and Latin American countries, according to the FDA. 

Since June 17, New Jersey has received nearly two dozen calls about tianeptine, and more than half involved Neptune’s Fix products, CBS News reported. 

At least eight states — including Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Ohio — have taken measures to restrict the illegal substance, while Florida made an emergency ruling to classify it as a Scheduled I controlled substance in September.