Xylazine, also known as "Tranq" or the "Zombie Drug," is on the doorstep of many towns across the nation. This deadly skin-rotting narcotic is combined with the already lethal Fentanyl, which was first combined with heroin. Because it has contaminated illegal drugs like cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl, this powerful animal tranquilizer is to blame for an epidemic of overdoses and fatalities across the country. Health officials are on high watch in an effort to stop the recent overdose epidemic. A slower heart rate, low blood pressure, reduced breathing, and ulcer skin wounds are all side effects of the veterinary tranquilizer medication xylazine that, if left untreated, can lead to amputations.
In late 2022, the zombie drug made its way to the Midwest and the West Coast, as public health officials had previously warned. Since the drug has been widely used in the Northeast for several months, overdose levels there have not yet been seen in the West. Not so much in the city as much as in rural and urban areas, Xylazine use is dramatically increasing in New York. Drug traffickers are combining this skin-rotting substance with already deadly substances. The sedative does not respond to contemporary opioid reversal therapies like naloxone (Narcan), which lessens the effects of fentanyl. U.S. authorities claim that this is probably a likely contributor in the high rate of overdoses.
This pandemic is escalating the opioid crisis in communities in New York and across the country, wreaking havoc on the streets, and overwhelming law enforcement. Because the Zombie Drug will keep making this disaster even more deadly, law enforcement must step up efforts, we need more prevention and addiction treatment. The Federal Government needs to act quickly to stop the unlawful importation of this drug and other controlled substances into the United States.
Zombie Drug
Zombie Drug or what is also known on the street as "Tranq" is already responsible for thousands of overdoses across the nation. The drug is resistant to Narcan, which is alarming addiction treatment professionals and law enforcement. As the horrific skin-rotting "Zombie Drug" makes its deadly descent upon our country, "Tranq" is fueling a new surge of overdoses and deaths. Local communities cannot fight this public health catastrophe on their own. Public health officials warn that the opioid use disorder will deteriorate as a result of the scourge of drug dealers and this dangerous drug that is available on the streets.
The animal tranquilizer known as "the zombie drug," Xylazine, is used in cattle, elk, pigs, and other large animals for a variety of nonhuman purposes. However, due to the skin wounds and open sores it can produce, it was never FDA approved for use in humans. In recent years, there has already been an increase in the use of opioid drugs like the synthetic opioid Fentanyl. The sedative effects of Fentanyl and Xylazine are similar to those of benzodiazepines and opiates. These "super" sedative effects cause the drug user to stagger, stumble, and wander around in a zombie-like condition in addition to simply rotting the user's flesh. It's interesting to note that the users maintain their equilibrium and seem to have it enhanced.
Overdose Deaths
Concerning trends in the use of illicit substances and Xylazine is a likely contributor as overdoses are emerging. Numerous controlled substances have been spiked with this potent sedative and overdosed on. Numerous risks arise when Xylazine is combined with heroin, fentanyl, and other drugs. The FDA has authorized the use of the veterinary tranquilizer xylazine in animals. But because of respiratory distress, low blood pressure, and horrendous rotting skin ulcerations near the injection site, the FDA has declared human ingestion unsafe. Amputations are typically required to treat this disease. The best way to handle Xylazines exposure in humans will require more investigation, research and testing. Additionally, novel analytical methods are required to find Xylazine in routine toxicology screens and controlled substances.
Mixing Xylazine with illegal street drugs across the country poses a serious danger. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), as well as state and local law enforcement, must give this increasing health issue their full attention in order to address this plaque. As this new danger spreads across our nation, the FDA must collaborate with local law enforcement and emergency personnel. This veterinary tranquilizer with the street name tranq does not react to current opioid-based reversal techniques. It is crucial that the FDA and health officials collaborate with each local community to end the use of this dangerous animal sedative as we start to comprehend the devastating effects of "tranq".
You Can Make A Difference
Over 100,000 people died in 2021 from drug overdoses in the United States.
Illicit Drugs
The American Food and Drug Administration must quickly identify the illicit Xylazine sources that are making its way into already illicit drugs such as fentanyl. The supply of Xylazine to drug users who are already dependent on heroin and other substances that are ravaging the Northeast, Midwest, and now the West Coast needs to be shut off by the FDA. Drug sellers and traffickers need to be stopped in their tracks.
To approach and address the overdose problem, a combination of FDA involvement, law enforcement hiring, and DEA involvement is required. According to the executive director of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the organization could also assist by setting aside testing infrastructure for xylazine with the aid of fresh government grants.
Other Drugs
The Drug Enforcement Agency claims that other drugs are being cut with and blended with the powerful sedative Xylazine. Fentanyl, which was already being used to reduce heroin, is the most prevalent. However, in recent years, fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, has replaced heroin in over 90% of the street-level supply. Xylazine is also used to cut other substances like cocaine. As a potentiator, this "Tranq Dope" enhances the euphoria from any other drug it is mixed with. To enhance their high, users mix xylazine with opioids like fentanyl. However, because Xylazine is not an opiate and overdose deaths are more frequent, Narcan is ineffective when users mix it with other drugs.
What is Tranq Dope?
The next step in drug evolution is what has come to be known as "Tranq Dope" on the streets. This is due to how simple it is to purchase a supply of the veterinary medication online. Even people who are not in the veterinary field, like drug dealers, can buy it from abroad. Norepinephrine is released in the brain as a result of the Tranq drug, Xylazine, acting on central alpha-2-adrenergic receptors. The substance is horrifying beyond belief. It is frightening because it destroys the flesh of users and attracts the attention of vulnerable people.
Narcan or (naloxone) does not work when addicts use both substances together because Xylazine is not an opioid, and overdoses are on the rise as a result. Many Tranq dope deaths have resulted from this. Despite how harmful heroin and fentanyl are, there are therapies available. On how to counteract the drug's effects, little is understood. The fact that it has been mixed with other drugs like heroin, fentanyl, or even cocaine is unknown to drug users.
Tranq dope causes sedative-like symptoms, such as excessive sleepiness and respiratory depression, and gives users a zombie-like appearance. Additionally, it rots the skin of drug users, sometimes even to the bone. Addicts trudging through the streets in a zombie-like state have been captured on camera. The horse tranquilizer xylazine, also known as "tranq" or the "zombie drug," is supplanting other drugs in many American cities. The new, extremely addictive substance first appeared in Philadelphia and then New York. It has since spread to the Midwest, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
What are the Street Names for Xylazine?
Xylazine is sedative in veterinary medicine, known on the street as "Zombie Drug", "Tranq" or "Tranq Dope".
Is Xylazine Toxic to Humans?
Xylazine is very harmful to users. Side effects include a slowed heartbeat, low blood pressure, decreased breathing, and skin ulcers.
What is the Use of Xylazine?
Used frequently by vets as a sedative in horses, livestock, and other animal species to ease the pain brought on by amputation wounds.
