Tuesday, May 30, 2023
  • Login
Euro Times
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Finance
  • Business
  • World
  • Politics
  • Markets
  • Stock Market
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Investing
  • Health
  • Technology
  • Home
  • Finance
  • Business
  • World
  • Politics
  • Markets
  • Stock Market
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Investing
  • Health
  • Technology
Euro Times
No Result
View All Result

What is xylazine? DEA warns of veterinary tranquilizer linked to overdose deaths : NPR

by Rachel Treisman
March 21, 2023
in Health
Reading Time: 9 mins read
A A
0
Home Health
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration badge. The DEA issued an alert warning of a “sharp increase in the trafficking of fentanyl mixed with xylazine” on Monday.

Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images


hide caption

toggle caption

Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images


A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration badge. The DEA issued an alert warning of a “sharp increase in the trafficking of fentanyl mixed with xylazine” on Monday.

Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

Federal authorities are warning Americans about an emerging public safety threat: fentanyl mixed with xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer that’s been linked to a growing number of overdose deaths across the country.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration issued an alert Monday warning of a “sharp increase in the trafficking of fentanyl mixed with xylazine,” which is also known as “tranq” or “tranq dope.”

An animal tranquilizer is making street drugs even more dangerous

“Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, adding that the DEA has seized xylazine and fentanyl mixtures in 48 out of 50 states.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 107,735 Americans died from drug poisonings between August 2021 and August 2022, and 66% of those deaths involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

Approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA in 2022 contained xylazine, according to Milgram.

Opioids are devastating Cherokee families. The tribe has a $100 million plan to heal

The non-opioid tranquilizer is approved for animals but not for humans. The National Institutes of Health says studies show that people exposed to xylazine often used it in combination with other drugs — both unknowingly and intentionally, since some people report using fentanyl with xylazine “to lengthen its euphoric effects.”

Repeated xylazine use is associated with skin ulcers and severe wounds — including necrosis, the rotting of human tissue — that could lead to amputation.

And mixing it with fentanyl places people at a higher risk of suffering a fatal poisoning, the DEA says.

Are harsher fentanyl sentences the solution to the opiate crisis? Experts say no

Because the tranquilizer isn’t an opioid, its effects can’t be reversed by the opioid overdose antidote naloxone (aka Narcan). Public health officials worry that the spread of xylazine in the opioid supply could render naloxone less effective for some overdoses, the NIH says.

Experts still recommend administering Narcan if someone might be experiencing an overdose, especially since xylazine is so often combined with opioids. But people should know that it won’t address the impact of xylazine on breathing, and call emergency medical services either way.

Xylazine is hitting the Northeast especially hard

Xylazine is a central nervous system depressant that can cause drowsiness and amnesia and slow a person’s breathing, heart rate and blood pressure to dangerously low levels. People report injecting, snorting, swallowing and inhaling it.

Research suggests that tranq has been part of Puerto Rico’s illegal opioid scene since the early 2000s and made its way to Philadelphia shortly after. It was first seen in toxicology reports there beginning in 2006, according to Substance Use Philly, a division of the city’s health department.

Some Mexican pharmacies sell pills laced with deadly fentanyl to U.S. travelers

Xylazine was found in over 90% of drug samples tested in Philadelphia in 2021, the program says. There are currently no validated drug-checking tests or tools for detecting xylazine; the health department got that data by testing drug samples with a forensic toxicology lab.

The problem has grown far beyond Philadelphia or even the entire state of Pennsylvania, which saw its percentage of overdose deaths involving xylazine jump from 2% to 26% between 2015 and 2020.

The DEA Is Warning Of A Rise In Overdose Deaths From Fake Drugs Laced With Fentanyl

The NIH says overdose deaths linked to xylazine have spread westward across the U.S., including states like Texas and Ohio and hitting hardest in the Northeast.

It was involved in 10% of all drug overdoses in Connecticut in 2020, and 19% of all drug overdoses in Maryland in the following year.

There are efforts to address the growing problem

Federal agencies and lawmakers are taking steps to raise awareness and curb the spread of xylazine.

In November, the Food and Drug Administration distributed guidance to health care professionals warning of the risk of patients being exposed to xylazine in illicit drugs.

There is life after addiction. Most people recover

And it said in late February that it had taken action to restrict unlawful imports of the substance, making it subject to heightened FDA scrutiny and giving FDA staff the ability to detain any shipments that appear to be in violation of the law.

“We recognize the public health effects of xylazine tainting these illicit drugs and are continuing to ensure that legitimate product is restricted to veterinary use only,” Tracey Forfa, the director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, said at the time.

Dr. Rahul Gupta, the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, told CNN that the White House is looking into designating xylazine as a potential “emerging threat,” which would trigger the development of a federal plan to address it.

Just this week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer held a press conference in Watertown, N.Y., to outline his plan to prevent xylazine-related overdoses, as North Country Public Radio reports.

The plan includes accelerating FDA efforts to track and eliminate illegal xylazine sources in the Northeast, increasing funding for a federal program that gives law enforcement agencies money to hire more officers and raising the budget for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.



Source link

Tags: DEAdeathsLinkedNPRoverdosetranquilizerveterinaryWarnsxylazine
Previous Post

Japanese PM’s Ukraine Visit: Putting On a Good Face for the West and Avoiding Damage?

Next Post

The 7 Best Dividend Stocks Under $5 Now

Related Posts

The WHO Will Have Authority to Mandate Vaccines Globally

by Dr. Mercola
May 30, 2023
0

In the video above, John Campbell, Ph.D., a retired nurse educator, reviews the proposed amendments to the 2005 International Health...

How Worried Should the World Be of China’s New COVID Wave?

by Chad de Guzman
May 29, 2023
0

Last week when a Chinese senior health adviser projected 65 million COVID-19 cases per week in China by June, some...

2 Dead in Suspected Meningitis Outbreak Linked to Mexico

by Amanda Holpuch
May 30, 2023
0

Two people in the United States have died with probable cases of fungal meningitis and more than 200 others are...

This mobile bathroom is designed to meet the specialized needs of the disabled public : NPR

by Jackie Velez
May 29, 2023
0

It's hard to find good public restrooms at festivals and other large events. It's even harder if you're someone with...

Maternity’s Most Dangerous Time: After New Mothers Come Home

by Roni Caryn Rabin
May 28, 2023
0

Sherri Willis-Prater’s baby boy was 2 months old, and she was about to return to her job at a school...

EMF Exposure — A Major Factor in the Development of Autism

by Dr. Mercola
May 28, 2023
0

This interview was recorded in November 2018 at the annual Academy for Comprehensive and Integrative Medicine (ACIM) convention in Orlando,...

Next Post

The 7 Best Dividend Stocks Under $5 Now

Bitcoin Is Your #1 Hedge Against the Federal Reserve

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Market Anticipation Builds As Optimism Plans To Unlock $587M Worth Of OP Tokens

May 30, 2023

US and EU criticize Polish plans for law that could keep opposition from holding office

May 30, 2023

SAIL readying ₹1,00,000 cr capex plans

May 30, 2023

Bitcoin Outperforms Gold, Crude Oil; Bitcoin Bull Run Ahead?

May 30, 2023

JEPI Holders Should Consider Adding DXD To Avoid Worst-Case Scenario (NYSEARCA:DXD)

May 30, 2023

U.S. Crude Dips Below $70 Ahead of OPEC+ Meeting

May 30, 2023
Euro Times

Get the latest news and follow the coverage of Business & Financial News, Stock Market Updates, Analysis, and more from the trusted sources.

CATEGORIES

  • Business
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Finance
  • Health
  • Investing
  • Markets
  • Politics
  • Stock Market
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized
  • World

LATEST UPDATES

Market Anticipation Builds As Optimism Plans To Unlock $587M Worth Of OP Tokens

US and EU criticize Polish plans for law that could keep opposition from holding office

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA
  • Cookie Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact us

Copyright © 2022 - Euro Times.
Euro Times is not responsible for the content of external sites.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Finance
  • Business
  • World
  • Politics
  • Markets
  • Stock Market
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Investing
  • Health
  • Technology

Copyright © 2022 - Euro Times.
Euro Times is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In