“This For the first time in our nation’s history, a substance has been identified as an emerging threat.Rahul Gupta, the American doctor, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, made it clear at a press conference. Because if there is one country in the world that has problems with the consumption of narcotics (of all kinds) it is the United States of America, but its government launches a warning in these terms. never reached the point of being forced.
Person in charge xylazine, known in drug slang as tranq (because it’s an opioid that acts as an anesthetic, that is, a sedative) and is actually another new addition. comes from the veterinary market. A drug that has been converted into a drug for animals not intended for humans medicine Fashion. So far, ketamine (an anesthetic for horses) and fentanyl (used to calm elephants) have successfully crossed this threshold.
The last to be included was the aforementioned xylazine, another veterinary drug used to placate animals. Mainly cattle (cows, bulls, oxen), but also dogs, cats and even horses. Although its presentation is on tablets, Usually given as a pill. Now, its consumption has jumped to people who use it as a potent opioid with heroin-like effects.
Epidemic
This outlook only exacerbates an epidemic that has wreaked havoc in a few countries, notably the United States: the opioid epidemic. They are the most commonly used narcotics by drug addicts, and in 2021 (last year for results) 100,000 overdose deaths. Fentanyl is the main responsible for this destruction; A powerful drug from China causing never-before-seen levels of addiction.
And now comes the calm. In fact, it has been established for several years in the US and Puerto Rico drug markets (US-associated community), especially in the southern region. In this case, it is not an opioid, but a relaxing analgesic not indicated for administration in humans. However combination with opioids can be fatal. In fact, the number of deaths from opioids involving sedation increased by 20%.
“Xylazine is a central nervous system depressant that can cause drowsiness and amnesia and reduce respiratory rate.heart rate and blood pressure at dangerously low levels. Consumption of opioids in combination with xylazine and other central nervous system depressants (such as alcohol or benzodiazepines) increases the risk of potentially fatal overdose,” describe the United States National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
The Institute supports the idea that the combination of Tranq with other substances can be fatal, a substance that enhances the effects of opioids. Not approved for human consumption And associated with an increased number of overdose deaths across the country in the context of the ever-evolving crisis of drug addiction and overdose. Studies show that people exposed to xylazine frequently use it, knowingly or unknowingly, in combination with other drugs, especially illicit fentanyl.”
Zombie medicine?
Xylazine, often administered intravenously, can have dramatic long-term negative consequences: chronic users develop visible necrotic areas in areas where the drug has penetrated, While no part of the body is safe, it is mainly the arms. This is one of the reasons why it is known as ‘ in the United States.zombie medicine‘, because the user suffers from skin lesions resembling the aspect attributed to the living dead in the cinema.
“Xylazine can cause sores and serious infections in your body, even in places far from where it was injected. After prolonged use, the skin may ulcers, rashes, necrosis and pus“In addition to the fact that the tranq user “could be seriously injured if he loses consciousness and stays in one position for too long,” they explain from MADDS (Massachusetts Drug Supply Data).
El Periódico de España, of the Prensa Ibérica group, spoke to Energy Control spokesperson Claudio Vidal (the Spanish reference agency for the analysis of narcotic substances), “for now, this is the United States Joined. We have no record of consumption here in Spain.‘ and ‘I would say that the name ‘zombie drug’ is purely journalistic, and it’s sensational. Like when they told us about the ‘cannibal medicine’. There is no drug that will make you cannibal. Therefore, we recommend that you do not use such terms.”
In any case, and although it has not yet reached Spain, the drug market is global and it may be a matter of time before it crosses the pond. Therefore, they explain from Energy Control “The problem with this substance is that it does not react to the antidote.. When an opioid overdose occurs, the patient is given a dose of naxolon, an antagonist. But xylazine does not respond to naxolone as it is not an opioid.”
no antidote
Rahul Gupta of the US government agrees: “We will bring together national experts in this field to identify the most promising approaches. clinical stabilization, withdrawal management and treatment protocols. Additionally, we need an antidote,” he announced in his final public address Wednesday, April 12, that “identifying xylazine as an emerging threat would allow the use of funds requested by President Joe Biden.” It’s not a Republicans or Democrats problem. It’s a US problem.”
However, although the current level of alert in the US is very high, this is not the only place where calm has raged. We contacted the Ministry of Health and the Madrid Department of Health and from here “xylazine has not been detected in Spain and therefore in the Community of Madrid. The European warning system detected this substance for the first time in 2019. In France and in the Baltic countries in 2022-23, with the use of fentanyl has been associated. Compatible with substance use patterns in the Baltic statesSimilar to the United States of America, which has very different consumption areas from the rest of Europe and, on the contrary, there are significant problems with fentanyl and xylazine, this substance is established in Northern European countries (especially Scandinavia).