Updated: Feb. 15, 2024 at 4:10 PM PST
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11 News talks with Steve Carleton from Porch Light Heath-Front Range Clinics about growing concerns surrounding Tianeptine.
I want to thank you for joining us in the Eleven Breaking News Center this afternoon. I’m here with Steve Carleton from Porch Light Health and the Front Range Clinics. He’s the clinical director there. And Steve, I know this month we wanted to talk a little bit about something that’s becoming a growing concern. It’s called Tianeptine, and there’s recently been an FDA-issued warning regarding that. Why is that?
Well, Tianeptine is a synthetic opiate, so it’s a synthetic painkiller. And what we’re starting to see is this is popping up in different vape shops and gas stations across Colorado, and it’s marketed as something that reduces depression and anxiety and offers pain relief. But in reality, it’s an opiate. And so there can be really big complications with people potentially overdosing or having medical problems related to that and becoming physically dependent or addicted to it.
Now, I know it’s starting to be referred to as gas station heroin. What exactly is this substance?
But it’s synthetic, right? So it’s similar to fentanyl. I think you can think about it in kind of a similar fashion. It’s probably not as dangerous and destructive as fentanyl, but it’s in a similar sort of chemistry there. Right. It has these pain-relieving qualities and acts on your brain similar to heroin or fentanyl or Oxycontin, or any of these types of substances.
I guess because it’s so similar to things like that. What are some of the biggest health concerns surrounding it and associated with it?
Sure. Well, health-wise and with any addictive substance, the biggest risk is that people continue to consume it and need more and more to get the same effect from it. At a certain point, if people are taking copious amounts of tneptine, which comes in pill form, and it also comes in liquid form in these shops called Neptunes and Zaza. And what can happen is that if you develop a big enough tolerance to it, at a certain point, you’re going to hit that max dose, and you can potentially overdose from it.
Now, I know you just mentioned a few of them, but this is a substance that is marketed under a lot of names. Are there any more that people should be on the lookout for when it comes to this substance?
I think the Neptune’s Envy is probably the most common one. And I think that comes in a pill form and a liquid form in shots. I think a lot of them have brightly colored packaging and you find them in the dietary supplements section or aisle. And that’s how these things are marketed, right? I think there’s a reason they put them in these colorful packages. They’re trying to market to younger people, right? Getting younger people to try this stuff and telling people that it can reduce their depression, reduce their anxiety, and lead to pain reduction. And while those things are true in the short term, you’ll get those benefits. The downside is that similar to any addictive substances, you can become physiologically dependent, and that can cause a lot of downstream problems.
Now, if someone is having problems getting off of the substance, where can they go to maybe get some help, or how can they get some help with curbing that addiction?
Absolutely. So I think a lot of people that are turning to tneptine, oftentimes they already have some type of opiate addiction, some type of addiction to painkillers. And they’re using this to sort of supplement that addiction if they can’t get their chosen substance. Anytime you have an opiate addiction, suboxone and other medication-assisted treatments like naltrexone and Vivitrol are really good ideas. And front range clinic, porchlight health, we’re a great avenue for that. We work with just about anybody, and we’re a good partner for that in Colorado.
And if people are looking to get in contact with you guys, how can they go about that?
Yeah, I think 1-866-MAT-STAT. MAT STAT is a great first option. Just call the number, and we can get people in the same day, I think, our website as well porchlighthealth.com.
Awesome. Well, Steve, I think those are all of the questions I had prepared for you today. Is there anything we haven’t touched on yet that you really want to make sure we talk about? While talking about these growing concerns surrounding TnFT today, I think with these new.
Things, the important thing is if you’re buying a dietary supplement or you’re buying something out of a gas station or that’s been recommended in a vape shop or a head shop or a cannabis dispensary, just be on the lookout. Look at the ingredients on the back. If it says tneptine, avoid that substance. That’s one that can really cause you problems down the road.
Awesome. Steve Carlton, Porch Light Health and Front Range Clinics clinical director thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me about these growing concerns today.
My pleasure, Lauren. Thank you.
