In West Virginia and elsewhere, dealers mix fentanyl with the powerful animal sedative xylazine. NBC News was able to arrange overseas purchases of the drug within minutes.

Dr. Steven Corder didn’t think his job treating people addicted to fentanyl in Wheeling, West Virginia, could get any harder, but then he began encountering patients who were addicted to both fentanyl and a second drug with its own destructive power — the livestock tranquilizer xylazine.

“Opioid withdrawal is hard enough,” Corder said. But his usual tools, he lamented, “couldn’t touch the withdrawal from xylazine.”

Xylazine is now present in one out of every nine overdose deaths nationwide involving illicit fentanyl, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

  • tsonfeir@lemm.eeBanned from community
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    2 years ago

    dealers mix fentanyl with the powerful animal sedative xylazine.

    Saved you a click.

  • chuckd@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    Aka tranq. The effects can be seen by looking up videos of Kensington PA. It seems to have really taken a hold of that area. NSFL

    • Wahots
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      2 years ago

      Tranq makes your skin rot. You eventually get necrotic tissue and have to amputate. It’s really bad.

      • tpyoman@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        Is that similar to krokodile? I saw a doc earlier that showed people has severely necrotic limbs and kept injecting knowing full well they are rotting their appendages.

        • Wahots
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          2 years ago

          I think it’s similarly bad. Though one bummer is that tranq is a horse tranquilizer. So if you OD on fent cut with tranq, narcan won’t save you, since the tranq will be in effect. You will need two medicines, one of which is rare- and the person being well trained to realize that they are also ODing on tranq. It’s a real lose-lose for everyone.

    • Fades@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      You are disgusting, clearly risk of death alone does not keep people from resorting to it, so no this is not the way it would end.

      How naive, hateful, and small-minded can you be? They are people just like you.

      • OBG@lemmy.worldBannedBanned from community
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        2 years ago

        Apparently the junkie could die. Stopping the demand part of supply and demand.