07/11/2025
The Stablon Crisis: A Silent Opioid Epidemic in Egypt.
Prepared by: Dr. Ahmed Saadawi, Egyptian Physician & Cardiologist
WhatsApp: +20 1553940751
Date: November 2025
A Legal Drug. A Hidden Opioid. A Silent Epidemic.
Across Egypt, a French-made “antidepressant” called Stablon (Tianeptine Sodium) is quietly fueling a new wave of opioid addiction — one hidden behind medical legitimacy.
Marketed as a harmless mood-lifter, tianeptine is in reality a full opioid agonist — chemically closer to morphine than to any antidepressant. Patients who take it for mild depression or anxiety often end up in full physical withdrawal within weeks. Yet, the drug remains legal, unregulated, and available over the counter in many pharmacies.
This is not a fringe issue. It’s a public health emergency developing in plain sight.
How Did It Happen?
While the FDA, France, Australia, and Gulf states have banned tianeptine after fatal overdoses and widespread abuse, Egypt’s Ministry of Health has done nothing.
Doctors continue to prescribe it. Pharmacies continue to sell it. Servier continues to profit.
No warning labels. No addiction training. No drug tests can detect it.
Egypt has been left completely exposed — a nation of unsuspecting patients and recovering addicts being re-addicted under the cover of medical care.
What’s at Stake
Thousands of users trapped in opioid withdrawal, unaware of the cause.
No national data or monitoring of prescriptions, misuse, or overdose.
No toxicology screening in hospitals to identify tianeptine poisoning.
An entire generation of youth and patients at risk of addiction under medical supervision.
If unaddressed, tianeptine will follow the same path as Tramadol in the 2010s — another legal drug turned mass epidemic through neglect and corporate deceit.
What Must Be Done
Immediate suspension of Stablon sales and urgent public warning campaign.
Criminal inquiry into Servier’s misrepresentation of tianeptine’s pharmacology.
Inclusion of tianeptine testing and treatment protocols in all addiction centers.
International oversight from WHO and UNODC to ensure regulatory compliance.
Final Word
Egypt cannot afford another state-sanctioned addiction crisis.
Every day of delay means more patients walking unknowingly into opioid dependence.
This is not an isolated tragedy — it’s a pharmaceutical crime hiding behind a prescription pad.
N.B: The full study dossier divided into 6 pages is available in PDF format for whoever is interested to delve into more details regarding this hidden and silent crisis