Person overdoses on "gas station heroin" for first time in Fayette County, coroner reports

Someone accidentally fatally overdosed on a drug called "gas station heroin" for the first time in Fayette County, Coroner Bob Baker said on Tuesday. 

Baker blamed the overdose entirely on tianeptine, an "opioid-like substance" that has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Tianeptine gets its nickname because it's sold in gas stations, vape shops and online, though the FDA says its availability isn't an indication of effectiveness or safety. 

What is tianeptine? 

"Right now, it is readily available, it is very dangerous, it's unregulated," Baker said.

Even though tianeptine has not been approved for any medical use in the U.S., the FDA says companies sell products containing the drug and market it with unproven claims that it can improve brain function and treat conditions like anxiety, depression and opioid use disorder. Baker says the drug is sold under brands like TD Plus, Neptune's Fix and Pegasus.   

According to the FDA, people with a history of opioid use disorder or dependence may be at a particular risk of abusing tianeptine. The FDA says it has identified cases where people experienced "serious harmful effects" from using tianeptine by itself or with other drugs, including agitation, nausea, vomiting, slow or stopped breathing, coma and death. 

Is tianeptine illegal? 

While Baker says this is the first death they have seen from tianeptine in Fayette County, he says his fellow coroners are now seeing it more and more in bigger counties like Allegheny and Philadelphia.

Baker also said that while tianeptine is illegal in several states, it is still legal in Pennsylvania, and that's why he wants to sound the alarm.

"It is so readily available currently and my goal is to get this banned in the United States or to a Schedule I drug, where it would be a controlled substance with the DEA and the FDA," Baker said. "And then our law enforcement agencies would be able to do their job into stopping the sale of it."

Baker says the first line of defense against tianeptine is to educate yourself on this drug. And he says that if you ingest tianeptine, the first thing you should do is use Narcan, which could help stop the effects of the drug long enough for you to call 911 and get help.