Tianeptine
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Clinical data | |
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Trade names | Stablon, Coaxil, Tatinol |
Other names | Tia;[1] ZaZa;[2] S-1574;[3][4][5] JNJ-39823277; TPI-1062[6] |
AHFS/Drugs.com | International Drug Names |
Routes of administration | By mouth |
ATC code | |
Legal status | |
Legal status | |
Excretion | Urine: 65%[9] Feces: 15%[10] |
Identifiers | |
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JSmol) | |
SMILES
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Tianeptine, sold under the brand names Stablon, Tatinol, and Coaxil among others, is an atypical tricyclic antidepressant which is used mainly in the treatment of major depressive disorder, although it may also be used to treat anxiety, asthma, and irritable bowel syndrome.[3][4][5]
Tianeptine has antidepressant and
Tianeptine was discovered and patented by the French Society of Medical Research in the 1960s. It was introduced for medical use in
Medical uses
Depression and anxiety
Tianeptine shows efficacy against serious depressive episodes (
Tianeptine has been found to be effective in depression, in people with Parkinson's disease,[26] and with post-traumatic stress disorder[27] for which it was as safe and effective as fluoxetine and moclobemide.[28]
Other uses
A clinical trial comparing its efficacy and tolerability with amitriptyline in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome showed that tianeptine was at least as effective as amitriptyline and produced fewer prominent adverse effects, such as dry mouth and constipation.[29]
Tianeptine has been reported to be very effective for asthma. In August 1998, Dr. Fuad Lechin and colleagues at the Central University of Venezuela Institute of Experimental Medicine in Caracas published the results of a 52-week randomized controlled trial of asthmatic children; the children in the groups who received tianeptine had a sharp decrease in clinical rating and increased lung function.[30] Two years earlier, they had found a close, positive association between free serotonin in plasma and severity of asthma in symptomatic persons.[30] As tianeptine was the only agent known to both reduce free serotonin in plasma and enhance uptake in platelets, they decided to use it to see if reducing free serotonin levels in plasma would help.[30] By November 2004, there had been two double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trials and an under-25,000 person open-label study lasting over seven years, both showing effectiveness.[30]
Tianeptine also has
Contraindications
Known contraindications include the following:[34]
- Hypersensitivity to tianeptine or any of the tablet's excipients.[35]
Side effects
Compared to other tricyclic antidepressants, it produces significantly fewer cardiovascular, anticholinergic (like dry mouth or constipation), sedative and appetite-stimulating effects.[14][19] Unlike other tricyclic antidepressants, tianeptine does not affect heart function.[36]
μ-Opioid receptor agonists can sometimes induce euphoria, as does tianeptine, occasionally, at high doses, well above the normal therapeutic range (see § Recreational use below). Tianeptine can also cause severe withdrawal symptoms after prolonged use at high doses which should prompt extreme caution.[37][38]
By frequency
- Common (>1% frequency)
- Headache (up to 18%)
- Dizziness (up to 10%)
- Insomnia/nightmares (up to 20%)
- Drowsiness (up to 10%)
- Dry mouth (up to 20%)
- Constipation (up to 15%)
- Nausea
- Abdominal pain
- Weight gain (~3%)
- Agitation
- Anxiety/irritability
- Uncommon (0.1–1% frequency)
- Bitter taste
- Flatulence
- Gastralgia
- Blurred vision
- Muscle aches
- Premature ventricular contractions
- Micturitiondisturbances
- Palpitations
- Orthostatic hypotension
- Hot flushes
- Tremor
- Rare (<0.1% frequency)
- Hepatitis
- Hypomania[40]
- Euphoria
- ECG changes
- Pruritus/allergic-type skin reactions
- Protracted muscle aches
- General fatigue
Pharmacology
Pharmacodynamics
Site | Ki (nM) | Species | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
MOR |
383–768 (Ki) 194 ( EC50 ) |
Human | [15][41] [15] |
DOR |
>10,000 (Ki) 37,400 (EC50) |
Human | [15][41] [15] |
KOR |
>10,000 (Ki) 100,000 (EC50) |
Human | [15][41] [15] |
SERT | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
NET | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
DAT | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
5-HT1A | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
5-HT1B | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
5-HT1D | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
5-HT1E | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
5-HT2A | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
5-HT2B | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
5-HT2C | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
5-HT3 | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
5-HT5A | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
5-HT6 | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
5-HT7 | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
α1A | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
α1B | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
α2A | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
α2B | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
α2C | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
β1 | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
β2 | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
D1 |
>10,000 | Human | [41] |
D2 |
>10,000 | Human | [41] |
D3 |
>10,000 | Human | [41] |
D4 |
>10,000 | Human | [41] |
D5 |
>10,000 | Human | [41] |
H1 | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
H2 | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
H3 | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
H4 | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
mACh | >10,000 | Human | [41] |
σ1 | >10,000 | Guinea pig | [41] |
σ2 | >10,000 | Rat | [41] |
I1 |
>10,000 | Human | [41] |
A1 | >10,000 (EC50) | Human | [15] |
VDCC |
>10,000 | Human | [41] |
Values are Ki (nM), unless otherwise noted. The smaller the value, the more strongly the drug interacts with the site. |
Atypical μ-opioid receptor agonist
In 2014, tianeptine was found to be a
In rats, when co-administered with morphine, tianeptine prevents morphine-induced
Glutamatergic, neurotrophic, and neuroplastic modulation
Research suggests that tianeptine produces its antidepressant effects through indirect alteration and inhibition of
Serotonin reuptake enhancer
Tianeptine is no longer labelled a selective serotonin reuptake enhancer (SSRE) antidepressant.[47][48][49][50][14][19] Tianeptine had been found to bind to the same
Although tianeptine was originally found to have no effect in vitro on monoamine reuptake, release, or receptor binding, upon acute and repeated administration, tianeptine decreased the extracellular levels of serotonin in rat brain without a decrease in serotonin release, leading to a theory of tianeptine enhancing serotonin reuptake.[52] The (−)-enantiomer is more active in this sense than the (+)-enantiomer.[53] However, more recent studies found that long-term administration of tianeptine does not elicit any marked alterations (neither increases nor decreases) in extracellular levels of serotonin in rats.[47] However, coadministration of tianeptine and the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine inhibited the effect of tianeptine on long-term potentiation in hippocampal CA1 area. This is considered an argument for the opposite effects of tianeptine and fluoxetine on serotonin uptake,[14] although it has been shown that fluoxetine can be partially substituted for tianeptine in animal studies.[54] In any case, the collective research suggests that direct modulation of the serotonin system is unlikely to be the mechanism of action underlying the antidepressant effects of tianeptine.[51]
Other actions
Tianeptine modestly enhances the
it could be hypothesized that due to tianeptine's central role in BDNF and neuronal plasticity, this CREB may be the transcription cascade through which this drug enhances mesolimbic release of dopamine.Research indicates possible anticonvulsant (anti-seizure) and analgesic (painkilling) activity of tianeptine via downstream modulation of adenosine A1 receptors (as the effects could be experimentally blocked by antagonists of this receptor).[31] Tianpetine is also weak histone deacetylase inhibitor and analogs with increased potency and selectivity are developed.[64]
Tianeptine has been shown to be a high-efficacy agonist of PPAR-delta, a nuclear receptor, possibly carcinogenic. [65]
Pharmacokinetics
The
Tianeptine has two
Chemistry
In terms of
Analogues
Although several related compounds are disclosed in the original patent,
History
Tianeptine was introduced for medical use in France under the brand name Stablon in 1983.[18]
Society and culture

Approval and brand names
Brand names include:
- Coaxil ()
- Salymbra (EE)
- Stablon (AR, AT, BR, FR, HK, IN, ID, MY, MX, PK, PT, SG, SK, TH, TT, TR, VE)
- Tatinol (CN)
- Tianeurax (DE)
- Tynept (IN)
- Zinosal (ES)
- Tianesal (PL)
Development
Under the code names JNJ-39823277 and TPI-1062, tianeptine was previously under development for the treatment of major depressive disorder in the
U.S.
Recreational use
As a
Between 1989 and 2004, in France 141 cases of recreational use were identified, correlating to an incidence of 1 to 3 cases per 1000 persons treated with tianeptine and 45 between 2006 and 2011. According to Servier, stopping of treatment with tianeptine is difficult, due to the possibility of
states that the withdrawal symptoms in humans typically result in: agitation, nausea, vomiting, tachycardia, hypertension, diarrhea, tremor, and diaphoresis, similar to other opioid drugs.In 2007, according to
Tianeptine has been intravenously injected by drug users in
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has expressed concern that tianeptine may be an "emerging public health risk", citing an increase in exposure-related calls to poison control centers in the United States.[17] Sold retail as a dietary supplement and touted as a mood-booster and an aid for concentration, it is colloquially known as "gas-station heroin".[89] In the US, it is an unregulated drug sold under several product names and has been found to be adulterated with synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) or other drugs.[22]
A literature review conducted in 2018 found 25 articles involving 65 patients with tianeptine abuse or dependence.[37] Limited data showed that a majority of patients were male and that age ranged from 19 to 67. Routes of intake included oral, intravenous, and insufflation entry. In the 15 cases of overdose, 8 combined ingestion with at least one other substance, of which 3 resulted in death. Six additional deaths are reported involving tianeptine (making it 9 in total). In this report, the amount of tianeptine used ranged from 50 mg/day to 10 g/day orally.
Legality
In 2003, Bahrain classified tianeptine a controlled substance due to increasing reports of misuse and recreational use.[90]
In Russia, tianeptine (sold under the brand name "Coaxil") is a schedule III controlled substance in the same list as the majority of
On March 13, 2020, with a decree approved by the Minister of Health, Italy became the first European country to outlaw tianeptine considering it a Class I controlled substance.[91]
United States
In the US, tianeptine is not considered by the Drug Enforcement Administration as a controlled substance or analogue thereof.[92] However, its use in dietary supplements and food is unlawful.[93] The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued warnings, as recently as January 2024, about the dangers of recreational tianeptine use and the risks posed by adulterated dietary supplements containing undeclared tianeptine.[94]
On 6 April 2018 Michigan became the first US state to outlaw tianeptine sodium, classifying it as a schedule II controlled substance.[95] The scheduling of tianeptine sodium is effective 4 July 2018.[96]
On March 15, 2021, Alabama outlawed tianeptine, initially classifying it as a schedule II controlled substance. It was later reclassified as a schedule I controlled substance in November 14th, 2021.[97][98]
On July 1, 2022, Tennessee outlawed tianeptine and adds "any salt, sulfate, free acid, or other preparation of tianeptine, and any salt, sulfate, free acid, compound, derivative, precursor, or preparation thereof that is substantially chemically equivalent or identical with tianeptine", classifying it as a schedule II controlled substance.[99]
On December 22, 2022, Ohio outlawed tianeptine, classifying it as a schedule I controlled substance with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine referencing the widespread availability of the chemical there as "gas-station heroin".[100]
On March 23, 2023, Kentucky outlawed tianeptine, classifying it as a schedule I substance by an order of the Governor of Kentucky.[101][102]
On September 20, 2023, Florida outlawed tianeptine, classifying it as a
See also
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