Lethal street drug resistant to Naloxone gains popularity

​By Lisa Marie Basile | Fact-checked by Barbara Bekiesz 
| Published February 22, 2023 MD Linx

Key Takeaways

• Xylazine (or “Tranq”) is a dangerous new recreational drug often combined with other substances. It is responsible for a growing number of overdoses. 
• It can lead to skin ulcers, central nervous system and respiratory depression, hypotension, and other health complications, including death.
• There are no FDA-approved medications available to treat xylazine dependence. Naloxone does not work to reverse potential overdoses.

​A dangerous new recreational drug, xylazine—also referred to as “tranq”—has made its way through cities across America. Its effects can cause serious health consequences and, in many cases, overdose and death, according to the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.[1] 
Xylazine’s impact in recent years is undeniable. For example, deaths related to xylazine in Pennsylvania jumped from 2 percent to 26 percent from 2015 to 2020, while xylazine was involved in 19 percent of all overdose deaths in Maryland in 2021.[2]  Deaths related to xylazine may also be underreported, as many forensic labs and toxicology tests do not test for xylazine. Its popularity comes down to how cheap it is to access and how strong its effects are. According to Abid Nazeer, MD, a psychiatrist and senior medical advisor for Symetria Recovery, “Xylazine’s popularity is connected to its ability to potentially extend the effect of other drugs, such as heroin and fentanyl.” Xylazine can also be bought very cheaply by dealers, who can order it online, Nazeer tells MDlinx.

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