There’s yet another risk related to the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl circulating in the U.S., according to the Drug Enforcement Administration announcement this week: rotting flesh.
Per the agency’s warning, fentanyl mixtures containing xylazine have been found in nearly every state. Last year, approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contained the drug.
“People who inject drug mixtures containing xylazine also can develop severe wounds, including necrosis – the rotting of human tissue – that may lead to amputation,” said the DEA.
Fentanyl was developed to help patients with pain from cancer and it is around 50 stronger than heroin and it has been a contributing factor in rising opioid deaths. Xylazine, also known as “Tranq” is a powerful sedative approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for veterinary use.
Although fentanyl is legally available in healthcare settings, most overdoses are linked to illicitly manufactured fentanyl sold for a heroin-like affect, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This fentanyl is “largely sourced from China,” and trafficked into the U.S. by the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco Cartel in Mexico, said the DEA.
From 2019 to 2020, deaths from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl increased by 56%. Out of 107,375 drug overdose and drug poisoning deaths in the 12-month period ending in January 2022, 67% were linked to synthetic opioids.
“It is often mixed with heroin and/or cocaine as a combination product – with or without the user’s knowledge – to increase its euphoric effects,” said the CDC.
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said that xylazine is making illicit fentanyl “even deadlier.” In 2022, the administration and the Department of Justice issued a report about the “growing threat” of the drug being found in illicit mixtures, following the same emergence pattern as fentanyl.
“It is commonly encountered in combination with fentanyl but has also been detected in mixtures containing cocaine, heroin, and a variety of other drugs,” said the report. Xylazine can cause respiratory depression similar to opioids, so its presence alongside them in mixtures is especially dangerous.
Since fentanyl is an opioid, drug overdoses can be prevented by administering naloxone (Narcan). Xylazine is not an opioid, and its effects can not be reversed by naloxone.
“Still, experts always recommend administering naloxone if someone might be suffering a drug poisoning,” said the DEA.
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