Veterinary Sedative Involved in Opioid Overdose Deaths

WHEN KETAMINE ISN’T STRONG ENOUGH –

May 24, 2022 – A study published last month in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence found xylazine to be increasingly implicated in overdose mortality, rising from 0.36% of deaths in 2015 to 6.7% in 2020 in 10 jurisdictions around the country. The greatest xylazine prevalence was observed in Philadelphia (25.8% of deaths), followed by Maryland (19.3%) and Connecticut (10.2%).

Authors of several papers about illicit xylazine, known on the street as “tranq,” warn that estimates may be an undercount since many jurisdictions do not routinely investigate for xylazine in overdose deaths.

There is no indication that xylazine is being diverted from veterinary providers, clinics or pharmacies, according to a memorandum from the Illinois Department of Health. Veterinarians know: Xylazine is not for humans

Xylazine was first synthesized in the 1960s by Bayer Co. in Germany for use in reducing high blood pressure. It was not approved for use in people due to some hazardous side effects, including sedation, low blood pressure and slow heart rate. However, it has been deemed safe for some animals.

Various species respond differently to the same dose per body weight, explained Dr. Christy Corp-Minamiji, who works in communications for the Veterinary Information Network, an online community for the profession and parent of VIN News. Today, experts worry xylazine can increase the chances of a fatal overdose when combined with drugs like fentanyl because it might exacerbate the respiratory depression that opioids cause. Making matters worse is the fact that naloxone, a drug used to reverse opioid overdoses, is ineffective against xylazine.