Man dies after taking ‘gas station heroin’ marketed as dietary supplement, suit says
The family of an Ohio man is suing after they say he died from ingesting a product known as “gas station heroin.”
On Nov. 5, 2023, Christopher Haggarty went into K&B Sunoco in Elyria and purchased a product called “Neptune’s Fix Elixir,” according to a lawsuit filed by his family.
That same day, after consuming one single dose, Haggarty died, the lawsuit said.
The Lorain County Coroner reported his cause of death was due to toxic effects from ingredients known to be in “Neptune’s Fix Elixir,” such as tianeptine.
“Fifteen dollars a bottle. How many people bought it besides my son? It was for sale at the gas station just right next to the lottery tickets and the cigarettes,” Haggarty’s mom, Karen Haggarty, told WLS.
According to the lawsuit, the product was marketed as a dietary supplement. However, the court document said it was nothing of the sort.
In 2018, the Federal Drug Administration issued a warning on tianeptine, a key ingredient in the product.
The FDA said tianeptine was not approved as a dietary supplement or additive — and to market it as such was illegal.
In December 2022, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine declared the sale of tianeptine illegal in the state, the lawsuit said. He also issued an executive order for the Board of Pharmacy to classify tianeptine as a schedule 1 controlled substance.
After the classification, the Board of Pharmacy issued a notice to retailers informing them that the sale of products containing tianeptine was now illegal. However, the lawsuit said K&B Sunoco continued to sell the product.
“The family has filed this lawsuit to get justice for the wrongful death of their son, father and friend, Chris Haggarty,” the family’s attorney Jordan Lebovitz told McClatchy News. “And most importantly, Karen and the entire Haggarty family want to bring awareness to the dangerous and deadly consequences of Neptune’s Fix. Marketed as ‘Happiness in a bottle,’ this dangerous product is anything but. The Haggarty family wants no other family to suffer like they have.”
Haggarty’s family filed the wrongful death lawsuit against Neptune Resources, LLC and K&B Sunoco. They are asking for an undetermined amount in damages.
McClatchy News’ attempts to reach out to K&B Sunoco were unsuccessful. Contact information for Neptune Resources was not available.
Tianeptine has been banned in several states, including Alabama, Georgia, Indiana and Kentucky. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said that between 2020 to 2022, more than 600 calls were made to poison control centers after exposure to the drug, resulting in five deaths, McClatchy News previously reported.
The drug was initially developed as an antidepressant in Europe, Asia and Latin America, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The FDA said that some companies are falsely advertising the drug, “making dangerous and unproven claims that tianeptine can improve brain function and treat anxiety, depression, pain, opioid use disorder, and other conditions.”
This story was originally published June 6, 2024 at 1:25 PM with the headline "Man dies after taking ‘gas station heroin’ marketed as dietary supplement, suit says."
