Doctors are perplexed by a brand-new street medication that is being advertised in Philadelphia, the centre of America’s opioid problem. Public health professionals are alarmed by its proliferation and concerned about the terrible injuries its users sustain. The compound was used to cut heroin, but more recently, it has been found in fentanyl and other illegal substances. It appears to first appear in Philadelphia before moving west to San Francisco and Los Angeles.
What is Zombie Drug?
Xylazine is sold as a veterinary medicine and used as a sedative, analgesic, and muscle relaxant; it is not a prohibited substance. It may result in bradycardia, hypotension, depression of the central nervous system, respiratory depression, and even death in people. Horses and cattle are treated with the sedative xylazine. Repeated exposure can cause open wounds that can quickly become severe as well as sedative-like symptoms such extreme exhaustion and respiratory depression. If the crusty ulcerations are not treated, they may become eschar, or dead skin, and necessitate amputation.
Higher doses of xylazine completely knock users unconscious because it has a tranquillizing effect. In contrast to opioids’ euphoric semi-awakeness, fentanyl cut with xylazine may cause users to fall asleep and wake up many hours later. Someone who abuses drugs in this way puts themselves at greater danger of suffering injuries, such as those sustained in motor vehicle accidents or sexual assaults.
Symptoms of Zombie Drug
With repeated exposure, the drug causes symptoms such as excessive sleepiness, respiratory depression, and raw wounds, which can become severe and spread quickly. If the ulcers are not treated, they can turn into dead skin called eschar, which necessitates amputation.
In 2021, Philadelphia reported that 90% of lab-tested dope samples contained xylazine, which raises the risk of overdose when combined with other illegal substances. The appeal of xylazine stems from the fact that it prolongs.
Why should you care?
What makes the ‘zombie drug’ so dangerous is that if you overdose on Xylazine mixed with fentanyl, eroine, or other illicit drugs. It’s close to impossible to revive the person, as naloxone, or Narcan, the most common overdose reversal treatment do not work with Xylazine.
