Animal sedative adds new pain to opioid crisis
A powerful animal sedative in the illicit drug supply is complicating the U.S. response to the opioid crisis. Xylazine is not intended for human use and can cause severe skin wounds in people who inject it. (June 23) (AP VIdeo: Tassanee Vejpongsa)
AP
BEAVER ― A new substance used to cut popular drugs is now causing fatal overdoses in Beaver County communities.
According to a release from District Attorney David Lozier, investigators have determined that two of the county's recent fatal drug overdoses were caused by the synthetic drug xylazine. Sometimes referred to informally as "tranq," the powdery drug is an animal tranquilizer that is being used in place of other substances like fentanyl and can not be treated with Narcan.
Xylazine can easily be pressed into illegal drugs delivered in pills, such as Oxycontin, Xanax or Percocet, without the buyers' knowledge and can also be mixed into illegal drugs like crack, cocaine and methamphetamines. In addition to the dangers of unknowingly ingesting the drug, officials from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) report that the presence of xylazine in samples of Fentanyl is also rising.
"Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier,” Anne Milgram, administrator for the DEA, said in a public notice earlier this year. “DEA has seized xylazine and fentanyl mixtures in 48 of 50 states. The DEA Laboratory System is reporting that in 2022 approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contained xylazine.”
When exposed to xylazine, the side effects of the animal tranquilizer can often be lethal as the drug slows breathing to a dangerous point. Prolonged exposure to the drug can cause a variety of symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, dangerously low blood pressure, slowed heart rate, wounds that can become infected and withdrawal symptoms. In the release from Lozier, the district attorney notes that users may also show topical signs of use on their skin, such as ulcers and decaying skin lesions.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that bystanders who believe someone is experiencing a xylazine overdose call local first responders as soon as possible to get the victim treatment. While the tranquilizer can not be treated with Narcan, these individuals should still receive naloxone to combat any other overdose symptoms caused by opioids or other drugs in their system.
