Xylazine, also called tranq, is a potent animal sedative that has been increasingly mixed into black-market fentanyl.
No matter how its taken, xylazine can cause long-term bodily damage.
It often leaves users with severe skin ulcers, soft-tissue wounds, andnecrosis,or premature skin death.
Todorean Gabriel / Getty Images.
But there is no known antidote to a xylazine overdose.
It will also support research into the drug and curb the illicit supply.
The White House said in a press statement.
Weve been dealing with this and sounding the alarm for a while now, Sue told Verywell.
What Counts as an Emerging Threat?
Drugs Contaminated With Fentanyl and Xylazine Are Especially Deadly
Xylazine is often cut with opioids.
Fentanyl suppresses the respiratory system, slowing breathing sometimes to the point of unconsciousness.
Xylazine, meanwhile, mainly acts to slow the nervous system.
Emergency medical service providers can provide care to revive someone who has overdosed on xylazine.
You cant treat folks if you dont know whats going on in their body, Dittmore said.
Before someone uses a drug, they can test for the presence of fentanyl with a test strip.
The test strips arent yet commercially available.
Polysubstancesthe deliberate or unintentional use of two or more substanceshave become rampant in the black market.
For instance, a powder sold as ketamine could contain cocaine and methamphetamines.
It puts us in a really hard position because we dont actually know what people are using.
What people say theyre using is full of other things, Sue said.
Its a very complicated and scary time, and I think its only going to get worse.
Most of the existing research on xylazine was conducted in animal studies as human trials were shut down.
Members of Congress in both chambers haveintroduced legislationto classify xylazine as a Schedule III substance.
Theyre the bedrock of caring for people who use drugs, Sue said.
If you recognize an opioid overdose, administer naloxone and promptly call 911.
