Xylazine — otherwise known as “tranq,” “tranq dope” and “zombie drug” — is wreaking havoc in major cities across the country with its devastating effects: It can literally rot the user’s skin.
The substance, which seemed to first appear in Philadelphia before migrating west to San Francisco and Los Angeles, was used for cutting heroin, but, most recently, it has been discovered in fentanyl and other illicit drugs.
Xylazine causes sedative-like symptoms, such as excessive sleepiness and respiratory depression, as well as raw wounds that can become severe and spread rapidly with repeated exposure. The crusty ulcerations, which can become dead skin called eschar, can result in amputation if left untreated.
Because it is not listed as a controlled substance for animals or humans, “tranq” lands in a confusing and horrifying gray area — and hospitals rarely test for it with routine toxicology screenings.
But the lethal combination of substances is what gives xylazine its appeal — the high of the opioid, such as fentanyl, is extended with the help of “tranq.”
“It’s too late for Philly,” Shawn Westfahl, an outreach worker with Prevention Point Philadelphia, told the Times. “Philly’s supply is saturated. If other places around the country have a choice to avoid it, they need to hear our story.”
People with substance use disorders who get hooked on the zombifying drug believe the emerging substance killed “any kind of joy” that came with getting high.
Catron says it leads to open sore and large wounds that get extremely infected. “Our street outreach people are doing a lot of wound care,” she said. “We’re on the streets every weekend.”
At least one death was linked to the drug earlier month, an overdose in Cheviot, according to SOAR.
Because xylazine isn’t an opioid, it can’t be detected by fentanyl test strips or counteracted by Naloxone.
Catron, herself a recovering addict, says they’re finding xylazine in everything from heroin to prescription drugs.
The Hamilton County Crime Lab found around 2,000 instances of xylazine in tested drugs or residue in 2022, according to our media partners at the Enquirer.
Catron directs those struggling with drug use as well as their loved ones to the “Never Use Alone” hotline.
“You can call there, and a volunteer will answer the phone, take your first name and your location,” she said. “They will stay on the phone with you while you use, and if you stop responding, they will send a paramedic to your house.... You’re not alone. You matter, and your life has value.”
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