Tranq - Xylazine.
What Parents and Caregivers Need to Know
Xylazine is also k
nown as: Tranq, Zombie, Tranq Dope, Anestesia de Caballo (Horse Tranquilizer)
What is Xylazine?
Xylazine is a non-opioid sedative, anesthetic, muscle relaxant, and analgesic for animals, which is why it is often known by its slang name, Horse Tranq. It is not approved by the FDA for human use due to its severe central nervous system depressant effects. Although the drug has been around for many years, it experienced a surge in use and distribution starting around 2010. The DEA reports a significant rise in use since 2020, with Xylazine being found in 48 of 50 states.
The effects of Xylazine in people can cause;
Sedation
Loss of consciousness
Difficulty breathing
Dangerously low blood pressure
A slowed heart rate
Contribute to skin infections, ulcers, and wounds that are difficult to treat and, in severe cases, may result in amputation.
Addiction and withdrawal
Overdose and death. There have been more than 90,000 overdose deaths each year since 2020.
Xylazine can be smoked, swallowed, inhaled or injected.
Why If it is so deadly and dangerous, why do people use it, and why do manufacturers produce it?
It is much more powerful than morphine, fentanyl, etc. As tolerance to drug use increases, individuals with a Substance Use Disorder are often looking for more potent and powerful highs.
The time it takes to achieve the effects is 1-2 minutes (a heroine-like effect). The drug peaks by 30 minutes.
The drug can have a duration of up to 4 hours.
It is cheaper and easier to make and enhances the effects of other substances. This enables drug dealers and manufacturers to stretch their supply and make more money while getting their clientele addicted and coming back for more.
The drug closely resembles other substances. Consequently, drug manufacturers can mix Xylazine into their products without consumers realizing it while still promoting them as more expensive options like cocaine or heroin.
Lastly, there is no way to “make sense” of addiction. The increasing tolerance of the body and brain drives individuals to seek the effects of drugs, making craving overpower one’s ability to make good decisions.
“No child or teenager is immune to danger. Regardless of how obedient, honest, or well-behaved your child may be, they are still vulnerable to social pressures, misinformation, and their own curiosity about medications and drugs.”
Why is it so dangerous
There is no reversal agent (antidote) for xylazine that is safe for use in humans.
Naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, is ineffective in reversing a xylazine overdose. It should still be administered in response to any suspected drug overdose to counteract potential opioid effects. While naloxone won't reverse the effects of xylazine, it remains important to give it, especially since xylazine is often used alongside opioids like fentanyl.
There is little control over the dosage because the drug is most often produced in illegal labs.
No child, teenager, or young adult is immune to danger. Regardless of how obedient, honest, or well-behaved your child may be, they are still vulnerable to social pressures, misinformation, and their curiosity about medications and drugs. The prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is responsible for decision-making, doesn't fully develop until around age 25, limiting one's ability to make reasonable decisions.
One pill can kill. An individual can die just as easily from their first dose of Xylazine as from their twentieth.
Symptoms of Overdose
Extreme drowsiness or unresponsiveness. Inability to wake up or respond to people.
Weak pulse or slowed heart rate
Lower blood pressure
Limp Body
In severe cases, xylazine overdose can cause a coma or death.
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Symptoms may include unconsciousness, inability to wake up, slowed breathing, apnea, dry mouth, hypertension, and tachycardia followed by hypotension and bradycardia, hyperglycemia, hypothermia, coma, dysrhythmia, and death.
Opioid overdose with xylazine resembles basic opioid overdose and can enhance the effects of depressants like fentanyl and heroin.
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Naloxone is a life-saving medication that can quickly reverse an opioid overdose, including those from heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications, if administered promptly.
Although Naloxone is not effective on Xylzine overdose, it should be administered for respiratory failure because Xylazine and Fentanyl are typically found together.
Please note the effects of Naloxone are only a temporary fix, and a second dose may need to be administered.
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Transport to a hospital or emergency room as quickly as possible. The effects of Naloxone are only temporary.
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Until medical or emergency personnel arrive
Points of Interest to Consider
Xylazine is much more powerful than morphine, fentanyl, etc.
Xylazine does not significantly depress respiration like opioids, but it can impair mental status, potentially leading to airway compromise and suffocation.
Be alert that even if the person breathes normally after receiving naloxone, they may still be sedated from xylazine. Additional naloxone may be necessary.
After the initial reversal, a medical professional must determine the appropriate next steps in treatment, as blood pressure and other symptoms may be unstable and require monitoring or intervention.
Symptoms of Withdrawal
Xylazine withdrawal is not a well-defined syndrome. It includes
Anxiety, irritability, and restlessness
Severe hypertension
Body aches
Cravings
Fast heart rate
Feeling sad and depressed
Withdrawal should be medically managed by professional health care professionals trained in addiction medicine.
This information is intended to serve as an initial resource for data and insights. Much of it was gathered from the 2024 Gulf Coast Conference on Addiction and the resources listed below.
For more information about Fentanyl or how to obtain and use Narcan (Naloxone), check out these blog articles.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I hope this has been helpful. If you believe it will benefit someone else, please share it. Also, check out some of my other entries and return for more topics.
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Resources
https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/12044.pdf
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/sapb/CDPH%20Document%20Library/xylazine-wound-care-factsheet.pdf
https://ncapda.org/xylazine-101/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiArby5BhCDARIsAIJvjIRkjz9qswH0dMCtHVIWX_JAZMI88Ev3SypZ3UFXn4j32eqsh954MM4aAvpEEALw_wcB