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Oneida, NY – A tranquilizer commonly used on horses, in combination with other drugs, has been detected in three people who died of overdoses this year, according to Oneida County.
The tranquilizer, xylazine, may have been added to amplify the effects of other drugs, according to a press release from the county. It is often found in combination with opioids, officials said.
“It’s not clear whether people know it’s in their medications or not, as research on its use in street drugs is limited,” County Public Health Director Dan Gilmore said. .
Injecting drugs containing xylazine can cause skin lesions and ulcers, officials said. If a xylazine overdose is suspected, officials said Narcan should be administered and 911 called. Although Narcan is not effective against xylazine, it must be administered because xylazine is often mixed with other opioids, they said.
Xylazine can produce serious and unexpected side effects, including:
• Central nervous system depression, such as blurred vision, disorientation, dizziness, drowsiness, difficulty moving, slurred speech and fatigue.
• Respiratory depression, such as shallow breathing or respiratory arrest.
• Cardiovascular effects, such as low blood pressure and slower heart rate.
The Oneida County Overdose Response Team has issued a public health advisory regarding the dangers of xylazine.
Xylazine is a non-opioid sedative, pain reliever, and muscle relaxant that mimics the effects of opioids, according to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. The drug has only been approved for use in animals.
The street drug is called “tranq”, “tranq dope” or “sleep cut”, according to the DEA.
Xylazine has been identified in more than 3,800 reports from 2015 to December 2020, according to a DEA database. Each year, the number of cases has increased with the highest number – 1,492 – reported in 2020, according to the DEA.
A 2019 study, published in the journal Injury prevention, found that since 2010, involuntary overdoses in which xylazine was present have increased 15-fold in Philadelphia.
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