Mental Health tianeptine experiences (novel antidepressant)

[Mysterie]

ive been doing a lot of research lately about the SSRE (selective) serotonin reuptake enhancer. which i think has a mode of action that is the opposite of ssri. in contrast to classic antideps, there is are very little side effects associated with tianeptine (no discontinuation withdrawal), hence my interest.

it was created by the french company servier which created agomelatine (melatonergic antidep) which im taking atm.

it is not available under prescription in aus and usa, but is sold pretty cheaply and domestically as a nootropic.

the therapeutic dose is 12.5mg three times a day, so every 5-6 hours. the half life is 3 hours or something so the effect starts to dissipate just before the next dose.

positive effects for most seem to be apparent once the first dose takes effect. they include, mood lift, anxiolytic, increased motivation, less brain fog/cognitive enhancement, subtle mellow opiate-like effect.

side effects iv read which seem to be rare are constipation and slight edginess, maybe due to an increase in dopamine like that of a stim

i'm not really interested in peoples experiences of going way over the recommended dose, this isn't a thread about the recreational use of tianeptine.

there seems to be a commonality in peoples anecdotal experiences which is that after 1-3 months tolerance builds and the drug loses most of its effect, at this point its best to take a break from it and perhaps revisit it when the tolerance is down again (i'm not sure how long that might take)
although people report that after doing a cycle of tianeptine, they find that their anxiety and depression are reduced after. similar to what i imagine low dose ketamine infusion might produce, i think this might be because of nmda activity and because of neuroplasticity effects which helps to restore the architecture of the cells in the brain which might have atrophied due to prolonged exposure to stress.
obviously i am not very chemistry smart, but you get the idea.

if you have tried tianeptine or are planning to let me know your thoughts, i'm not really interested in peoples experiences of going way over the recommended dose, this isn't a thread about the recreational use of tianeptine.
i'll be updating this thread with how it affects me (i have some coming in the next couple days), there shouldn't be an interaction with agomelatine, although i suspect they will have a very minor synergistic effect.

 

[a dream]

I tried this in 2012. I tried to use it in the past (12.5 mg three times a day) and it seemed I would get anxious when it wore off. My notes say I felt a little worse after I stopped taking it, though. It wasn't worth it for me, except... it seemed to ward off SSRI withdrawal effects, at least back then.

My notes aren't very detailed, but I'd also apparently not done a very good job of taking it regularly, at least after the first few weeks.

I thought I'd posted on BL about it, but I only found one, about how I'd tried it recreationally.

 

[Mysterie]

yeh, i do feel a bit more anxious when i feel it wearing off. but i'm thinking that if i meditate morning and night every day, that should reduce over time.

also i am finding that the amount of anxiolytic effect i have during the first 3 hours or so, is outweighing the minor rebound anxiety.

im on day 2 of tia now, its a bit difficult to weigh it out on my scale because its a cheapo .000 which will show 12mg, then sometimes it will just keep going up by itself without me adding more powder, so i might need to find a better set of scales. i think my doses are all within the 10-20mg ballpark figure

yesterday was pretty great tbh, my doctor got really angry at me when i told him i didn't think there was any point in seeing him any more after 2 yrs, and i was in a space of peace/tranquility, usually conflict will make my skin crawl, but it felt good to let things air out in the open.

i noticed a greater degree of motivation, i had too much energy to lie in my bed all day watching videos, was moving about, cleaning my room etc, which is not typical for me.

i went to see some bands play at night, and usually i would drink and bum a few cigs off people, and i didn't feel the need to drink or smoke. towards the end of the night though i was feeling anxious from it wearing off, and a few things triggered it as well talking to friends. but its not a big deal, i slept and feel better about it this morning.

i'll get a better feel for it in the next few days, so far i'm happy it works and hope the tolerance building happens after at least 2 months.

 

[aq.]

I tried this in 2012. I tried to use it in the past (12.5 mg three times a day) and it seemed I would get anxious when it wore off. My notes say I felt a little worse after I stopped taking it, though. It wasn't worth it for me, except... it seemed to ward off SSRI withdrawal effects, at least back then.

My notes aren't very detailed, but I'd also apparently not done a very good job of taking it regularly, at least after the first few weeks.

I thought I'd posted on BL about it, but I only found one, about how I'd tried it recreationally.

how long were you on it for?

 

[a dream]

how long were you on it for?

about 2 months

 

[Lady Codone]

Been taking tianeptine on and off since February 2014. I started taking it for benzo withdrawal-induced depression, which was far worse than my normal level of depression. Here are the pros and cons I've noted:

PROS:
- Works instantly instead of taking 2 weeks to a month.
- Very mild side effect profile.
- No withdrawals upon cessation.
- Increases motivation to exercise and be physically active.
- Makes whatever I'm doing more interesting.
- Cheap and accessible without a prescription.

CONS:
- Dry mouth, vivid dreams and moderate stomach irritation.
- Very short duration requiring frequent re-dosing.
- Possibly worsens my pre-existing constipation.
- Tolerance develops quickly, requiring frequent breaks to maintain effectiveness.

I take tianeptine in doses of 12-15 mg several times a day (probably 5-6 doses). I take it for two weeks at a time with two week breaks in between. Since it is a full mu-opioid agonist, it can cause nightmarish withdrawals if you abuse it.

I've taken every SSRI on the market plus several SNRI's, atypicals, tricyclics and others. Tianeptine works just as well for me but without the withdrawals when I quit. I think all doctors should consider it a first-line treatment, if only because there's no harm done if it doesn't work. I haven't heard of any murder/suicides linked to tianeptine like there are with SSRIs.

 

[Mysterie]

thanks for sharing m'lady. does your doctor prescribe it? what country are you from?. i thought that it wasn't available under prescription in uk/usa/aus. i live in aus and i can get it for very cheap on ebay, where it resides as a kind of grey area nootropic i guess. it might be because it isn't scheduled here, im not quite sure.

i think its too bad that more people with anxiety/depression aren't aware of this drug as a potential treatment or haven't researched it because i have a feeling it could help a lot of people who are not satisfied with action of traditional antideps.

i told my dr that i'm taking tianeptine and agomelatine and he really did not approve at all (i told him i don't want to see him anymore since my last app though, i can treat myself better through self-medicating), most clinicians are not really that knowledgeable about new lines of treatment of depression or anxiety, my mums a dr and she hadn't heard of tianeptine or ketamine as having potential for depression.

im going to get my next batch of tia in its sulfate form which is not as hygroscopic and it releases into the bloodstream at a slower and steadier rate than the sodium form which is what pretty much all tia is sold as. so then i just have to take 1 dose (abt 45mg i think) in the morning instead of 3 a day which i find difficult to maintain with my low energy/motivation. its good to know about the 2 weeks on 2 weeks off thing, ill see if that works well for me as well.

 

[Erikmen]

Been taking tianeptine on and off since February 2014. I started taking it for benzo withdrawal-induced depression, which was far worse than my normal level of depression. Here are the pros and cons I've noted:

PROS:
- Works instantly instead of taking 2 weeks to a month.
- Very mild side effect profile.
- No withdrawals upon cessation.
- Increases motivation to exercise and be physically active.
- Makes whatever I'm doing more interesting.
- Cheap and accessible without a prescription.

CONS:
- Dry mouth, vivid dreams and moderate stomach irritation.
- Very short duration requiring frequent re-dosing.
- Possibly worsens my pre-existing constipation.
- Tolerance develops quickly, requiring frequent breaks to maintain effectiveness.

I take tianeptine in doses of 12-15 mg several times a day (probably 5-6 doses). I take it for two weeks at a time with two week breaks in between. Since it is a full mu-opioid agonist, it can cause nightmarish withdrawals if you abuse it.

I've taken every SSRI on the market plus several SNRI's, atypicals, tricyclics and others. Tianeptine works just as well for me but without the withdrawals when I quit. I think all doctors should consider it a first-line treatment, if only because there's no harm done if it doesn't work. I haven't heard of any murder/suicides linked to tianeptine like there are with SSRIs.

Very complete. I was thinking about discussion this with my doctor but he doesn't think I'm depressed. I don't understand as I am deeply depressed from a long time.

 

[Mysterie]

you know yourself better than your dr erik

 

[Erikmen]

True. Thanks!

 

[emerald2303]

Thanks for the Info. I just love it when drs tell me I'm not depressed. Guess all those suicide attempts were just temper tantrums (yes, I've actually been told that) and debilitating despair is just me wanting a cookie or some shit. Anyway, I'm wondering if there's an equivalent of this drug in the USA. It sounds a little tramadol-ish but better.?

 

[truenamebrand]

I used tianeptine for a while. Personally, I found it impossible to take therapeutically because of the legitimate opiate high I got from it at between 100 and 150 mg (of the sodium, though I used both).

Due to its incredibly short duration of action, and rapid tolerance buildup, it's totally unsustainable for recreational purposes. Because of that, I typically ordered only a couple grams and binged out for several days, then waited another few weeks or a month to order again.

I found the initial rush at a little over 100mg to be on par with stronger opioids such as oxycodone. Subsequent doses waned in their effectiveness, but I absolutely loved it nonetheless. Too much, in fact.

I actually found it much better of an anxiolytic than an antidepressant, though I can see how someon with more discipline could find great benefit from it from the latter as well.

As far as side effects go, even at very large doses the only side effect I experienced was constipation. Which I get from kratom anyway, and I actually welcome since I have IBS-d.