INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Department of Health issued a warning Monday about a new threat from a drug known as bromazolam.
It is a synthetic drug that was first developed for medical purposes in the 1970s, but was not approved for use in the United States. It belongs to the same drug class as Xanax and Valium and is known by the street names “XLI-268” and “pseudo-Xanax”.
The drug is sold as tablets, powders, and even gummies. The U.S. didn’t have the disease until four years ago, according to the Department of Health.
“It’s on the rise, and like xylazine, another synthetic opioid, and fentanyl before it, it will continue to rise,” said Heather Rodriguez of the Indiana Recovery Network.
Indiana officials said they didn’t test for bromazolam until this year because it’s such a new drug.
According to IDOH figures, the drug was detected in toxicology test results of 35 overdose patients between January 2023 and June 2023. Of these patients, 17 died in April and May alone.
The drug began appearing after a series of other similar drugs were placed on the list of Schedule 1 substances in December 2022, said Mike Gannon, assistant special agent for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Indianapolis. Stated.
“Drug dealers will always try to find the latest synthetic drug that they can throw in and mix to make money,” Gannon said.
Bromazolam often contains fentanyl, which creates a deadly compound, Gannon said.
Rodriguez said the effects already have been tragic.
“They are parents, brothers, sisters, mothers, everyone,” Rodriguez said. “And they have families and people who care about them.”
Gannon said his advice remains the same: “Only take medications as prescribed.”
“This is one of the things you have to be careful about when you get drugs of any kind from someone on the street,” Gannon said.
IDOH said the best treatment for bromazolam overdose is Narcan because bromazolam is often mixed with synthetic opiates.
You can find a way to get Narkan here.
