Simply because no studies were done. But there's a reason to ASSUME it could work in healthly people too...
Tianeptine is an SSRE type anti depressant compound that was never approved by FDA to the best of my knowledge. That does not mean it is ineffective; it just infers it might not do "enough" to impress FDA.
An otherwise healthy individual who might be considering a pharmaceutical drug to induce neurogenesis or improvements in neuroplasticity should be aware such activity can in fact be quite dangerous; and that such benefits have never been demonstrated in a single human trial in healthy subjects.
Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2004 Dec;14 Suppl 5:S511-21.
From restoration of neuroplasticity to the treatment of depression: clinical experience.
Costa e Silva JA.
School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The adult brain has more plasticity than previously believed. Neurogenesis, growth and branching of dendrites, and remodeling of synaptic contacts in different regions of the brain occur continuously. Numerous studies have reported a decrease in neuroplasticity in depressed patients and/or in animals subjected to stress and to different models of depression. This has led to the proposal of a new approach to the pathophysiology of depression: depression could be the result of the decrease in neuroplasticity in brain structures involved in the control of mood. This new approach to the pathophysiology of depression can lead to better understanding of, or the proposal of more solid hypotheses about, some issues such as the impact of genetics and environmental factors on the occurrence of depressive episodes, the increased risk of depression in patients with somatic diseases in which there are alterations of neuroplasticity, or the increased risk of depressive relapse in depressed patients in partial remission in whom we suspect that neuroplasticity is only partially restored. These observations have also led to the proposal of new hypotheses concerning the mode of action of antidepressant drugs. In this regard, tianeptine is of particular interest. Tianeptine's pharmacological and clinical properties have been extensively studied. Tianeptine has specific neurotrophic properties, and its antidepressant properties have been well demonstrated. Tianeptine provides early relief of anxious symptoms without sedation in depressed patients. The acceptability and safety profiles of tianeptine are appreciated by both physicians and patients; for instance, tianeptine does not induce sexual dysfunction, nausea, or weight gain. It is of interest to focus on what we already know about tianeptine's pharmacological and clinical properties, and to create mechanistic hypotheses about the similarities and differences observed in clinical practice between tianeptine and other antidepressants.
Publication Types:
* Review
PMID: 15550350 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Depressed humans and animals (see underlined text above) seem to have decreased neuroplasticity or have incurred cerebral atrophy; therefore they have an entirely different neural network than an otherwise healthy patient. It is
hypothesized (ie unproven) that tianeptine's pharmacological and clinical properties can induce improvements in neuroplasticity in depressed, aged, or "stressed" populations. To
assume such benefits could be conferred upon a healthy population is not based on any evidence.
Peace.
LongeCity
