For Jim Bates, getting off opioids had repeatedly meant enduring anxiety, restless legs and withdrawal symptoms. But after discovering an experimental compound discussed in online drug-use communities, the 53-year-old Oklahoma man says he was able to taper off another opioid in about three weeks without physical withdrawal.

Bates described SR-17018 as 'a freaking miracle' to WIRED. Another former opioid user told the publication that the compound helped him stop using 7-OH after at least five previous attempts, during which he experienced what he called 'three days of hell'.

Their accounts have drawn attention to SR-17018, an experimental drug that some people on Reddit and Discord say has helped them reduce or stop opioid use. As researchers prepared to investigate it in people, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) moved to restrict it.

In late August, the agency emergency-scheduled SR-17018 as a Schedule I controlled substance, placing it in the same category as heroin. The classification means the drug is considered to have no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse, making research more difficult.

What Is SR-17018 and How Might It Work?

SR-17018 was identified in research led by Laura Bohn, who was tasked with finding safer pain medicines. In a 2017 study published in Cell, Bohn and colleagues reported that the compound relieved pain in mice without causing respiratory depression, a dangerous slowing of breathing that can lead to fatal opioid overdoses.

Further experiments suggested mice did not develop substantial tolerance to SR-17018. Morphine-dependent mice also appeared to regain opioid tolerance without severe withdrawal symptoms.

These findings are promising, but remain preclinical. SR-17018 has not undergone human clinical trials, so its safety and effectiveness for treating opioid dependence in people remain unknown. Online accounts are personal reports, not proof of a treatment effect.

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Why Did the DEA Restrict the Compound?

The DEA said it had identified two samples of SR-17018 in forensic drug exhibits from two US states since 2025. Another monitoring system detected samples on the West Coast. The agency argued that the substances it scheduled had no approved medical use and could be trafficked or abused like other synthetic opioids.

It also raised a potential safety concern: if SR-17018 resets a person's opioid tolerance, they could be more vulnerable to an overdose if they later return to opioid use. Tolerance loss can also raise overdose risk after abstinence.

The emergency scheduling is due to last two years, with a possible one-year extension. The DEA could also make the classification permanent after public and scientific input.

Bohn told WIRED that the restrictions had effectively stopped her from obtaining or handling the compound for further safety research. Her team had been working towards human trials, which have not yet taken place.

What Does This Mean for Opioid Treatment?

Bates and the other user interviewed by WIRED said they had previously tried methadone and buprenorphine, two established medicines used to treat opioid use disorder. Both said they preferred SR-17018 because they believed it could help them stop using opioids without remaining on long-term medication.

However, methadone and buprenorphine are evidence-based treatments, while SR-17018 remains unproven in humans. They should not be viewed as interchangeable, and people should not stop prescribed treatment or attempt to manage withdrawal with unregulated compounds without medical advice.

The controversy highlights a difficult balance between controlling potentially dangerous synthetic drugs and allowing research into new treatments. For people living with opioid dependence, online accounts may offer hope, but only properly designed human studies can establish whether SR-17018 has a place in treatment.

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