According to the DEA, xylazine makes fentanyl “even deadlier.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration has warned that powerful veterinary sedatives have been illegally combined with fentanyl, making it even more dangerous.
The DEA has issued an alert to public safety about the widespread threat posed by a mixture of fentanyl and a non-opioid animal sedative called xylazine, also known as “Tranq.” According to the DEA, drug combination trafficking is on the rise.
A mixture of fentanyl and xylazine has been found in 48 states, according to DEA administrator Ann Milgram.
“Xylazine makes the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier,” said Milgram. Said“The DEA seized mixtures of xylazine and fentanyl in 48 of the 50 states. The DEA laboratory system estimated that approximately 23% of fentanyl powders and 7% of fentanyl tablets seized by the DEA in 2022 contained xylazine. It is reported that it was
Xylazine, a powerful sedative approved for veterinary use by the Food and Drug Administration in 1972, Unapproved For human use.
Because xylazine, unlike fentanyl, is not an opioid, users of the mixture may be at increased risk of a fatal overdose, so the federal government recommends naloxone (Nalcan), a common opioid overdose treatment. is not known to be effective in reversing that effect.
In addition to the increased risk of death caused by xylazine, “People who inject drug mixtures containing xylazine can also sustain serious injuries, including necrosis (decay of human tissue) that can lead to amputation.” said the DEA. statement.
Xylazine is not readily detected in routine toxicology screening, making it difficult to diagnose exposure to the drug. FDA warning to stakeholders in the healthcare community last November
Since 2020, more than 100,000 people have died annually in the United States from drug overdoses, nearly two-thirds of which are fentanyl-related.
