Misuse of Unapproved Antidepressant With Opioid-Like Effects Spikes

Updated August 23, 2018 This content is archived.

Tianeptine is an unapproved antidepressant drug that is believed to have caused an increase in calls to U.S. poison centers. Raphael J. Leo, MD, associate professor of psychiatry, recently published a case study on the drug that noted that blogs advocate use of amounts greater than the recommended daily antidepressant dose in order to achieve “opioid-like effects.” Some people who seek out tianeptine are searching for “a supplement to enhance mood and cognitive function,” he said, adding that he does not think all purchasers “necessarily think of it as an opiate.”