A significant number of pharmaceuticals have been laced with Xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer commonly known as “Tranq,” as a result of the horrifying trend of tainted fentanyl overwhelming the illegal drug market.
As a result, there has been an increase in the drug overdose issue in the US, with users losing limbs to severe skin diseases. In the 12 months ending in October 2021, according to the most recent statistics from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 105,752 persons died from drug overdoses.
Experts caution that the falsified and contaminated medication supply is also contributing to the issue, even though the synthetic opioid fentanyl was implicated in the majority of these overdoses. It is not meant for use by humans and is used to calm down big animals like horses.
To boost the strength and profit margins of heroin, cocaine, and other illegal substances, drug traffickers have begun adding them.
Since xylazine has a longer half-life than fentanyl and is more difficult to eliminate from the body with overdose-reversing medications like naloxone, it is especially worrisome since it may be fatal even in tiny doses.
According to clinical psychologist and addiction expert Dr. Eric D. Collins, poisoned pills are now the nation’s number one killer of people between the ages of 18 and 42.
He claims that the tranquilizer Xylazine used in the zombie medication may induce significant skin infections that can result in gangrene and amputation, so young people should be aware of the enormous risk that is presented by any pills they may purchase.
Gangrene is a dangerous disorder that often begins in the toes, foot, fingers, and hands where a lack of blood flow causes body tissue to die. In a statement to the US Sun, Dr. Collins said: “We’ve seen some people with multiple amputations of different parts of their body.”
He also cautions consumers against falling for recognizable branding used by drug traffickers to get them hooked on fentanyl and tranquilizer-containing medications more quickly.
“Anyone who does not obtain a prescription medication from a reputable pharmacy that has been duly prescribed by a doctor would be concerned in 2023,” he said. Laced drugs are now the number one killer of persons between the ages of 18 and 40. We should spread the message.
Dr. Collins emphasized the value of education and the superiority of the available knowledge. It might be difficult to speak about drug usage because of the stigma attached to it, he said. Families, in my opinion, may get an education on how to communicate with their kids. It might have a significant effect.
Drug traffickers have been mixing tranq with heroin to sell on the streets for more than ten years, according to a February article in The Mirror. However, the substance has now developed its own fan base.
The substance, according to doctors who treat users, rots the skin where it is injected, causing sores, ulcers, and, in the worst instances, the need for amputation of limbs.
According to Dr. Gary Tsai, the LA County Department of Public Health’s head of drug addiction prevention and control, “It’s not that common yet, but similar to fentanyl, it was more common on the East Coast and it’s moving west, this is something that’s concerning.”
The biggest worry is that we are already seeing the greatest overdose catastrophe ever, both nationally and locally. “This would result in more overdose deaths.” In a study, the Drug Enforcement Agency said that it is sometimes used alone, but it is also coupled with other narcotics including fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin.
Prior to being discovered in the United States, it was first used on the streets of Puerto Rico. According to a DEA study, xylazine use is becoming more common and is now found outside of the conventional white-powder heroin markets in the northeastern United States, where it has been for some time.
“Xylazine vials have been found in places serving as neighborhood stash houses or in the residences of polydrug traffickers, indicating that drug blending at the retail level occurs, albeit it is unknown how often.
“Xylazine has been found in an increasing number of overdose fatalities in addition to being identified as an adulterant in an increasing number of illegal drug mixes. It is often found mixed with fentanyl, but it has also been found in mixes with cocaine, heroin, and many other narcotics.
“However, reports of xylazine in mixtures with two or more drugs are most common. “Xylazine (often referred to as tranq) is used on its alone, but this is less frequently documented, in addition to being included in medication combinations. The effects of xylazine on the human body have only been the subject of a little amount of scientific study.