Calls to U.S. poison control centers involving tianeptine, an antidepressant used in Europe, Asia and Latin America, have climbed since 2015, according to the CDC's most recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published August 3.
Here are six things to know:
1.Tianeptine is not approved by the FDA, but can be easily bought online as a diet supplement or chemical used for research. The drug is prone to abuse due to the opioid-like high it produces, according to STAT.
2. Calls to poison control centers involving tianeptine spiked following the release of a 2014 paper, showing the drug can produce an opioid-like high. The paper also linked tianeptine to neurologic, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal problems. In some instances, the symptoms mirrored those of opioid toxicity or opioid withdrawal.
3. Health officials are worried tianeptine could pose a public health threat to individuals seeking to take the drug as an opioid alternative. In April, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder passed legislation reclassifying tianeptine as a Schedule II controlled substance after several overdoses were linked to the drug earlier this year.
"In light of the ongoing U.S. opioid epidemic, any emerging trends in drugs with opioid-like effects raise concerns about potential abuse and public health safety," the CDC wrote.
4. From 2000-17, 218 calls related to tianeptine exposure increased, according to the CDC report. Of those calls, 121 involved people between age 21 to 40, while 119 calls were classified as purposeful exposures.
5. In 83 reported incidents, tianeptine was used with another drug. In 10 cases, individuals used tianeptine with opioids. In another 26 cases, people used tianeptine with phenibut, another unapproved drug that affects the central nervous system.
6. The CDC urges healthcare providers to look out for potential cases of tianeptine abuse or withdrawal.
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