Xylazine, a drug used to sedate large animals, has been linked to an increasing number of overdose deaths across the country. The drug, also known as “tranq,” “tranq dope” and “zombie drug” is being used to cut heroin, fentanyl and other illicit drugs, says the New York Post. And its side effects can be horrifying ─ it can literally rot a user’s skin.
The Food and Drug Administration approved xylazine, a non-opioid, for veterinary use. It is not safe for humans and, frighteningly, those who overdose do not respond to naloxone, or Narcan, the most common overdose reversal treatment.
Xylazine results in excessive sleepiness, slows breathing and heart rate, and causes raw wounds that can become severe and spread quickly throughout the body, says the Post. The crusty ulcerations, which can turn into dead skin called eschar, may result in amputation if left untreated.
The drug is hitting big cities across the country, especially Philadelphia, New York, and Los Angeles. In Philadelphia, 90% of lab-tested dope samples from 2021 contained xylazine, which increases the risk of overdose when combined with other illegal substances. According to Insider, Philadelphia is regarded as ground zero for the drug, and it has traveled to the west, infiltrating California’s drug trade. Xylazine is used to cut the opioid fentanyl to lower dealer costs and extend the effects of the drug.
Dr. Gary Tsai, the director of substance abuse prevention and control with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, believes the drug’s prevalence “would increase deaths from overdoses.”
“The main concern is that we’re already amid the worst overdose crisis in history, nationally and locally,” Tsai told the Los Angeles Times.
Experts say that xylazine extends the high enjoyed by opioid users, but that the skin-rotting side effects kill any pleasure associated with the drug.
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