LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The Arkansas Department of Health released a warning today regarding xylazine, an animal tranquilizer that it says is emerging in the state with increased use among humans.
Xylazine is a non-opioid tranquilizer used by veterinarians for elk, deer, horses and other animals, and is not approved for use in humans by the FDA.
The drug made headlines years ago and use among humans has since been a growing issue throughout the country.
The Arkansas State Crime Laboratory and the ADH says that xylazine is being mixed with dangerous illegal drugs like fentanyl and heroin.
“According to a DEA Public Safety Alert, drug seizures containing mixtures of fentanyl laced with xylazine have been detected in 48 states. The DEA has reported that xylazine-positive overdose deaths have risen by 1,127% in the south,” a release from the ADH said.
The Biden-Harris Administration announced in April that fentanyl combined with xylazine had been designated as an “emerging threat to the United States.”
The ADH says that xylazine-mixed drugs may go by street names such as “tranq,” “tranq dope,” “Philly dope,” “sleep cut” and “zombie drug.”
The ADH says that, when mixed with opioids and other substances, xylazine can damage organs and muscles, cause skin ulcers and infections and increase the risk of overdose death.
Side effects of xylazine include decrease in breathing rate, decrease in heart rate, slowed brain activity, lower blood pressure, higher blood sugar and reduced blood flow.
The CDC says that common opioid overdose treatments like Naloxone will not reverse the effects of xylazine but should be given in response to any suspected overdose to reverse any possible opioid effects.
