WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is warning Americans about a sharp increase in the trafficking of fentanyl mixed with a veterinary medication, xylazine.
Xylazine, also known as “Tranq,” is a powerful sedative that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved for veterinary use. Xylazine is a pharmaceutical drug used for sedation, anesthesia, muscle relaxation and analgesia in animals such as horses, cattle and other non-human mammals.
“Xylazine is making fentanyl – the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced – even deadlier,” said Administrator Anne Milgram. “DEA has seized xylazine and fentanyl mixtures in 48 of 50 states.”
That includes Oklahoma, which recorded nine fatalities in 2022 involving fentanyl laced with xylazine, said Mark Woodward, public information officer for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.
The DEA Laboratory System is reporting that in 2022, approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contained xylazine.
Xylazine and fentanyl drug mixtures place users at a higher risk of suffering a fatal drug poisoning. Because xylazine is not an opioid, naloxone (Narcan) does not reverse its effects.
Still, experts always recommend administering naloxone if someone might be suffering a drug poisoning. People who inject drug mixtures containing xylazine also can develop severe wounds, including necrosis – the rotting of human tissue – that may lead to amputation.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 107,735 Americans died between August 2021 and August 2022 from drug poisonings, with 66% of those deaths involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl. The Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco Cartel in Mexico, using chemicals largely sourced from China, are primarily responsible for the vast majority of the fentanyl that is being trafficked in communities across the U.S.
The FDA recently communicated to health care providers about the risks to patients exposed to xylazine in illicit drugs.