Opioid usage and addiction have become a prominent issue in the US in the past decade. In 2013, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared the misuse of opioids as a national epidemic. Then in 2017, the federal government and Former President Trump announced the opioid epidemic as a national public health emergency. While the misuse of opioids has become a lethal weapon to millions of humans, other drugs have also established themselves as dangerous paths to overdosing.
Xylazine, also known as “Tranq,” is a non-opioid sedative tranquilizer, pain reliever, and muscle relaxant intended for veterinary medicine that has increased overdose fatalities and taken the lives of many individuals nationwide. While Xylazine is not an opioid itself, research shows that it is often added to illegally manufactured opioids to make a drug mixture. Specifically, Xylazine contributes to the illegal opioid industry by offering traffickers a less expensive and more potent psychoactive product, embodying the role of a “filler drug.” Other street names for Xylazine include “Tranq dope” and the “zombie drug,” coined after the apocalyptic appearance of individuals utilizing this drug. Even though it isn’t approved for humans, Xylazine has been linked to many overdose deaths in recent years.
Xylazine can be contained in illegal drugs and has caused an increase in fatal overdoses.
Image Source: MASTER
Most prominently, Xylazine has been detected in mixtures with Fentanyl, an opioid responsible for a significant number of fatal overdoses. As overdoses linked to Xylazine mixed with Fentanyl continue to rise, researchers have investigated how the tranquilizer induces fatal effects on users. Xylazine acts 10 to 15 minutes following intramuscular injection, after which the affected individual enters a sleep-like state for one to two hours once the drug is in the bloodstream. This euphoric effect can prolong the effects of other illegal substances such as fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin. The recipients of these deadly concoctions then enter an unresponsive state for hours and deal with eschar wounds, or dead tissue that falls off healthy skin, which can lead to amputation if not treated immediately. The euphoria is also accompanied by low heart rates, slow breathing, and low blood pressure, which can all play a role in an individual’s death.
Xylazine’s presence in illegal drug mixtures has posed an even graver danger to the public, as opioid treatments such as naltrexone have been unsuccessful in reversing overdoses that involve Xylazine since it is not an opioid and does not respond to the same combative mechanism used by naltrexone.
Current research continues to illustrate the increasing trend of Xylazine-containing mixtures leading to overdose. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) published findings indicating that Xylazine’s use in illegal drug mixtures increased by 193% in the southern region of the US, 112% in the west, 7% in the midwest, and 61% in the northeast from 2020 to 2021. The problem is clear, and healthcare professionals and researchers are working hand in hand to develop a solution that can save countless lives down the road.
Featured Image: LEONARDO BORGES
