This is an interesting drug, I'm surprised I haven't found an interest in it earlier on.... how can a TCA play with opioid receptors, this chemical is wicked in regards to what it does.
How safe is this stuff? Is it practical to use as an AD and anxiolytic?
If I react really badly to a TCA (trazodone in specific), would I have adverse effects to tianeptine?
Trazodone drove me crazy... literally.
Ironically, Trazodone *isn't* a TCA, it just feels like one (i.e. serotonin reuptake inhibition + histamine antagonism). Also, unlike TCAs, Trazodone has an active metabolite called m-CPP, a Piperazine-class stim that used to be pressed into some of history's worst "Ecstasy" tablets, so that might be the reason you reacted badly to it
Anyway, Tianeptine is a pretty good antidepressant drug whose effects have been likened to a mildly stimulating opioid, like a very-low-dose Oxycodone... which is unsurprising because they relatively recently found proof for its activity as a µ-opioid agonist. However, for truly recreational use, tolerance is probably going to build too fast... medicinally, the drug seems to be almost always prescribed in a "one size fits all" daily dosage of 3x12.5mg/day. While it is naturally possible to increase the opioid effect if you take a higher dose, your tolerance will quickly rise to match it, so you might as well stick with 37.5 mg/day... if you're just planning on abusing it, there are probably cheaper, longer-acting opioids out there.
Edit: Here's the structure for Trazodone. The name presumably refers to the structure on the left,
Tri
azolo-Pyri
din-
one - quite different from a Tricyclic... it actually reminds me more of certain antipsychotics like Aripiprazole, Risperidone or Ziprasidone.