Tianeptine Exposures Reported to United States Poison Centers, 2015-2023

Tianeptine is an atypical tricyclic antidepressant not approved for medical use in the US but is found in dietary supplements. This study investigates single-substance tianeptine exposures reported to US poison centers.

We analyzed cases involving tianeptine reported to the National Poison Data System from 2015 to 2023.

There were 892 single-substance tianeptine exposures reported to US poison centers from 2015 to 2023, and the rate of exposures increased 1,400% from 2015 to 2023, including a 525% increase from 2018 to 2023. Most exposures were associated with moderate (51.5%) or major (12.0%) effects, and 40.1% required medical admission, including 22.9% to a critical care unit. Individuals 50 years and older were more likely to experience major effects (RR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.13-2.56) or require medical admission (RR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.20-1.72) than younger individuals. Tianeptine abuse accounted for 40.1% of exposures and was more likely to be associated with moderate or major effects (RR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.06-1.31) than exposures not attributed to abuse. Withdrawal accounted for 22.5% of tianeptine exposures. Tianeptine exposure rates were highest in the US South. Alabama enacted legislation to regulate tianeptine as a controlled substance in 2021. Alabama's tianeptine exposure rate increased by 1,413.7% from 2018 to 2021, followed by a 74.6% decrease from 2021 to 2023, while the rate in other southern states continued to increase.

This study demonstrates the toxicity and rapid increase of tianeptine exposures reported to US poison centers. Uniform regulation of tianeptine across all states may offer an important strategy to help mitigate this public health problem.