You may be hearing more about a veterinary tranquilizer called xylazine lately. Use of this dangerous drug is increasing throughout the country. It is important for our community to be aware of what it is and how we can keep members in our community safe.

Xylazine (ZY-leh-zeen), also called tranq or tranq dope, is a tranquilizer used by veterinarians that is not approved for human use. It’s increasingly used as a street drug, mixed with other drugs (mainly fentanyl) to increase the drugs’ effects and to make it cheaper to buy.

Xylazine can be deadly and is especially dangerous when combined with opioids like fentanyl and heroin. It also does not respond to overdose reversal drugs. People may not know if xylazine or fentanyl are in the drugs they are taking, which can lead to increased risks of injury and potential addiction.

Xylazine can cause:

• Sedation
• Difficulty breathing
• Dangerously low blood pressure
• Slowed heart rate
• Skin lesions that can become so deep and severe that they require amputation (one of the reasons xylazine is called “zombie drug”)
  
• Severe withdrawal symptoms
• Death

When mixed with fentanyl, benzodiazepines or taken with alcohol, xylazine increases the risk of death by overdose. If used long-term, xylazine can also cause skin wounds and infections that can lead to amputation and/or sepsis.

Because combining xylazine with opioids has had such a great impact on the opioid crisis, the White House has designated xylazine as and emerging threat to the United States. In their announcement they report the following statistics from The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Reports:

• Between 2020 and 2021, forensic laboratory identifications of xylazine rose in all four U.S. census regions, most notably in the South (193%) and the West (112%).
• Xylazine-positive overdose deaths increased by 1,127% in the South, 750% in the West, more than 500% in the Midwest, and more than 100% in the Northeast.

First and foremost, do not take drugs from unknown origins. There is no way to know what is in that drug even if they have the same look and marks of a prescription medication. Help raise awareness of the risks of these drugs and ways to prevent overdoses. If you suspect an overdose, call 911 immediately. If you have the overdose reversal drug, naloxone, administer it right away. Xylazine does not respond to naloxone, but you can still use it safely in case other drugs are causing the overdose. Finally, give rescue breaths or CPR until first responders arrive.

For more information about xylazine visit theses resources:

White House: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Designates Fentanyl Combined with Xylazine as an Emerging Threat to the United States

CDC: What You Should Know About Xylazine