Animal sedative, xylazine, mixed with fentanyl linked to Minnesota deaths

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MPR 11/22/22

Some Minnesota health officials say they are seeing deaths connected to a drug sometimes used to prolong the high of fentanyl and other opioids, and it may be interfering with a common overdose-reversal treatment.

The drug xylazine is FDA-approved for use in animals, like horses and cattle, as a sedative and pain reliever. It’s also been found mixed with opioids like fentanyl to extend their effects.

Now, federal officials are warning health care professionals that xylazine may not respond to overdose-reversal drugs, like naloxone, also known as Narcan.

... Xylazine use has been previously reported in several other states including Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. VICE News recently reported the drug has spread to 39 states.

... Part of the difficulty for physicians is that it can also be hard to tell if xylazine is in someone’s system.

More: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/11/22/animal-sedative-mixed-with-fentanyl-linked-to-minn-deaths-worrying-health-professionals