Reddit Could Be an Early Warning System for Drug Harms

Chart of the Day: Reddit Threads on Gas Station Heroin Can Reveal Substance Use Trends and Safety Concerns

August 26, 2026

By:

Joanna Kim, MPH

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Reddit shows potential as a tool for identifying new drug trends and safety concerns far sooner than formal surveillance systems.

One of the top 10 most visited websites in the U.S., Reddit is a social media platform structured around conversations and forums, called ‘subreddits,’ that encourage anonymous discussion on diverse topics. Reddit posts offer insight into public discourse and cultural trends. Reddit can also help public health researchers quickly spot drug-related problems, called toxicosurveillance, according to a new study involving LDI Senior Fellow Jeanmarie Perrone.

Her team used natural language processing to analyze Reddit posts from 2005-2024 on tianeptine products – also known as gas station heroin, dope, or zaza. It’s an atypical antidepressant, meaning it falls outside the four main drug classes treating the condition. People reportedly use it to manage pain, opioid dependence, depression, or anxiety. It’s often sold in convenience stores, smoke shops, and online. And its use has been linked to dependence and harm in countries where it is regulated as an approved antidepressant.

As the chart above shows, the team found that posts mentioning tianeptine rose sharply from 1,555 in 2022 to 2,358 in 2023.

Manual analysis of these posts revealed themes of tianeptine dependence, management of withdrawal symptoms, and discussions of other unregulated substances, such as kratom. The findings highlight Reddit’s potential as a tool for capturing drug trends and problems.

“Natural language processing-assisted approaches can help monitor evolving substance use patterns in near real time,” said Perrone.

The article, “Self-Reported Tianeptine Experiences on Reddit: Natural Language Processing–Assisted Qualitative Study” was published in JMIR Infodemiology in July 2026. Authors include Christopher Counts, Anthony Spadaro, Sahithi Lakamana, Abeed Sarker, Rachel Wightman, Jennifer Love, Diana Calello, and Jeanmarie Perrone.