Insidious Zombie Drug Is On Montana Streets. What Is It?

Because the risks of taking Fentanyl aren't high enough, there's a new drug being added to the mix and it's springing up all over America, Xylazine.  I did some research and this is what I found from KIMA TV, The Missoulian, and Montana Public Radio.

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What is Xylazine?

Xylazine is an animal tranquilizer that HAS NOT been approved for humans.  There are also no regulations governing this drug, so not only is it cheap, at least it's easy to get.

Drugs Being Used To Mix With Xylazine:

If you're thinking, "I'm ok, I don't use Fentanyl", think again.  It's showing up mixed with Heroin, Meth and Cocaine.

The DEA has reported that it's showing up in about in about a fourth of the Fentanyl powder that was seized in the last year. In Philadelphia, 90% of seized dope contains Xylazine.

What Does Xylazine Do:

As it's an animal tranquilizer, it causes extreme drowsiness, slowing your breathing and heart rate plus decreases your blood pressure. Other symptoms being reported are blurred vision, coma, abnormal heart rhythms, depressed breathing, constricted pupils and high blood sugar.

Drug users have reported PASSING OUT after using Cocaine cut with Xylazine.

There is another terrifying side effect:  sores will break out all over your body, and not where you injected it.  These sores won't heal and they get infected, sometimes resulting in amputation.

What Happens When It's Mixed With An Opioid?

It intensifies the effects of the opioid.  It's also a lot easier to overdose when mixing the two medications.

Can Narcan Help If You've Overdosed?

No.  As Xylazine is NOT an opioid, Narcan is of no use in an overdose situation.

What's This New Drug Called:

It's sold on the street at Tranq.  However it's other name is as appropriate as it is horrifying, Zombie Drug (due to the infected sores).

Is It In Montana?

According to the CDC,  Montana reported overdose deaths due, in part to Xylazine, as early as 2019.  So far it's shown up in 48 of the 50 states.