When you head to your local gas station, there are plenty of things you might be looking to buy. Fuel for your car might top that list. But inside the store, you can also find snacks, coffee and fountain drinks, newspapers and magazines, and so on. One gas station, which has stores in Missouri and across the Midwest, is also the fifth-largest pizza chain in America.
So, yes, you can find a whole range of products at the gas station or a convenience store. What you probably would not expect to find, however, is powerful and dangerous drugs that can lead to a substance use disorder. Nevertheless, a variety of products that have been lumped together under the nickname “gas station heroin” can be found in gas stations, convenience stores, vape and smoke shops, and elsewhere.
The dangers of these products are many—and the risk of purchasing and consuming them without understanding what they really are is high. This blog post is intended as an explainer and a warning about gas station heroin.
What Is Gas Station Heroin?
The term “gas station heroin” has been applied to products that contain tianeptine or 7-hydroxymitragynine (more commonly known as 7-OH). With names like those, you can see why those substances have acquired a more memorable nickname.
As we have noted, the marketing of these products is often misleading. How misleading? Well, you are quite unlikely to find any labeling or advertising that call these substances what they actually are: powerful and dangerous opioids.
To complicate things a bit further, however, these substances are often hidden behind another name that people recognize—and that many (perhaps incorrectly) assume is safe. That name and product is “kratom.”
Confusion About Kratom
There is an important distinction to be made when it comes to thinking about gas station heroin. Many of the problematic products are advertised as kratom or as containing “natural kratom extracts.”
That is misleading, at best, and an actual lie at worst. Native kratom leaf generally does not continue detectable amounts of 7-OH, so equating the two is unfair to consumers. Here’s the reality: 7-OH, which is a synthetic drug, is 30 times more potent than morphine. While we are decidedly not making a case for kratom consumption, we do want to be extremely clear that it simply is not the same thing as 7-OH—no matter what its purveyors put on the packaging.
Regulators Are Stepping on the Gas
Gas station heroin—tianeptine or 7-hydroxymitragynine—is undergoing high levels of scrutiny at both the state and federal levels. Indeed, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now recommends that 7-OH products should be included under the Controlled Substances Act.
The FDA stated its concerns clearly in a media release—which, among much else, notes the kratom confusion we outlined above: The availability of 7-OH products is a major concern for the FDA, as consumers can easily purchase them with concentrated levels online and in gas stations, corner stores, and vape shops. The FDA is particularly concerned with the growing market of 7-OH products that may be especially appealing to children and teenagers, such as fruit-flavored gummies and ice cream cones. These products may not be clearly or accurately labeled as to their 7-OH content and are sometimes disguised or marketed as kratom.
Of course, regulations do not always suffice to keep dangerous drugs out of the hands of people determined to find them and use them, but we think this is a step in the right direction. Another important step? Truly understanding the dangers.
The Dangers of Gas Station Heroin
Let us be clear here: gas station heroin use has been linked to deaths—just like other opioids.
And even short of death, the impacts are serious. They chip away at your mental health (they can contribute to depression, anxiety, fear, and/or confusion) and your physical health (they can cause headaches, slow your heart rate, and lead to difficulty breathing). They share the dangerous profile of opioids of all kinds—a topic we have covered frequently. (See here, here, and here, for example.)
Here is the long and the short of it: You should avoid these products—no matter where you find them or what health or other benefits they claim to provide. Once a substance use disorder develops around gas station heroin, it can be devilishly hard to give the drugs up. Severe withdrawal symptoms, including intense cravings, generally send people right back to the drugs. It is a trap, and it can quickly come to feel like that trap is impossible to break free from.
Fortunately, however, treatment for a substance use disorder can help you get your life back on track.
We Are Always Here to Help
Consistently recognized as one of the top substance use disorder treatment centers in the country, The Aviary Recovery Center is committed to improving the lives of every person we serve by helping them effectively address a substance use disorder as well as co-occurring mental health disorders. Located near St. Louis, Missouri, The Aviary prides itself on being a refuge for those who need to make an immediate change in order to reclaim their lives. When you are ready to get started, we are, too.
