It is no secret that obtaining and using street drugs can be a dangerous, and even deadly, affair. With drug overdoses killing over 100,000 people per year, a percentage of those were due to there being deadly additives added to the already dangerous drugs themselves. The latest one to be making headlines is Xylazine. From 2020 to 2022, the percentage of all reported drug overdose deaths involving xylazine increased from 0.8% (15 out of 1,888 deaths) to 9% (222 out of 2,591 deaths). Notably, in 2022, 100% of the reported suspected xylazine-involved deaths also involved fentanyl.
What is Xylazine?
Xylazine is a non-opioid animal tranquilizer not approved for human use. It has been increasingly linked to overdose deaths across the nation amid the evolving drug addiction and overdose crisis. Studies indicate that people often use xylazine, knowingly or unknowingly, in combination with other drugs, particularly illicit fentanyl.
Xylazine is frequently added to illicit opioids, including fentanyl, with users reporting that it prolongs the euphoric effects. Most overdose deaths involving both xylazine and fentanyl also included other substances, such as cocaine, heroin, benzodiazepines, alcohol, gabapentin, methadone, and prescription opioids.
It is also known as “tranq” and is a central nervous system depressant that can cause drowsiness, amnesia, and dangerously slow breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure. Using opioids in combination with xylazine and other central nervous system depressants, such as alcohol or benzodiazepines, increases the risk of life-threatening overdose.
Symptoms and Health Risks of Xylazine
Xylazine has not been approved for human use, so it is of the utmost importance that people avoid using it. Not only are its side effects very dangerous, they can also be deadly. Side effects include:
- Sedation: Due to its tranquilizing effects, xylazine often puts its users into a deep sleep.
- Trouble breathing: Xylazine can cause respiratory depression that can sometimes lead to death.
- Low blood pressure and slowed heart rate: Beta blockers and calcium channel blockers found within the drug can cause bradycardia and hypotension.
- Wounds that can become infected: Xylazine has a vasoconstrictive effect on local blood vessels that could result in decreased skin perfusion. This reduced skin perfusion impairs wound healing and increases the risk of superinfection.
- Severe withdrawal symptoms: See below.
- Death
The use of xylazine in humans is a recent development, so there is limited research on diagnosing withdrawal. However, xylazine withdrawal symptoms may resemble those of opioid withdrawal.
Individuals withdrawing from xylazine may experience various symptoms, including:
- Anxiety
- Body aches
- Cravings
- Rapid heart rate
- Depression
- High blood pressure
- Irritability
When xylazine is used alongside opioids, it can exacerbate opioid withdrawal symptoms upon cessation. Medications administered by a professional drug detox may help alleviate the symptoms of xylazine withdrawal.
How to support someone struggling with Addiction
Helping someone dealing with drug abuse involves a combination of empathy, support, and connecting them with professional resources. Here are steps you can take:
- Educate Yourself: Take the time to understand the nature of drug addiction, its symptoms, and its effects. Having this knowledge will help you provide informed support.
- Approach with Empathy: It’s important to practice compassion with drug addicts. Approach them with kindness and without judgment. Listen and let them share their experiences and feelings without interrupting or criticizing.
- Offer Support: It’s okay to clearly communicate your concerns for their well-being. Do not support their drug use by giving them money or covering up their actions.
- Encourage Professional Help: Recommend they speak with a healthcare professional, such as a doctor, counselor, or addiction specialist. Share details about local treatment centers, support groups, and hotlines.
- Take Care of Yourself: Setting boundaries with a drug addict can be difficult, but it is vastly important. Ensure you have clear boundaries to protect your own mental health. Consider joining a support group for friends and family of those dealing with addiction.
- Be Patient: Recovery is a long and challenging process. Offer continuous support and understand that setbacks may occur.
Loving a drug addict is never easy, but it is important to remember that in order for them to get help, they have to want it for themselves. Compassion, patience, and clear boundaries are vital for protecting your peace.
If you need treatment, you need ARIA. Call us today.
At the Addiction Recovery Institute of America, our addiction treatment specialists provide expert care for individuals who are struggling with substance use disorders. Our goal is simple: to provide each of our clients with the tools they need to achieve long-term recovery. When you enroll in any one of the programs at ARIA, you are committing to sobriety, right here in Kentucky, Kentucky.
We are dedicated to holding up our end of the bargain by designing individualized substance abuse treatment programs that serve each of our client’s individual needs. To get in contact, Call us at (844) 973 2611 or head over to our Contact Us page, fill out our information form and our representatives will get back to you as soon as possible.