According to toxicologists and researchers, a non-opioid animal tranquilizer for which there is no antidote is being added to street drugs in Michigan, making the already lethal supply more hazardous.

Xylazine, the ultra-potent synthetic opioid that is mixed into heroin and pressed into counterfeit pills and responsible for more overdose deaths than any other drug, contains large amounts of xylazine, a fast-acting central nervous system depressant that is not approved for human use. Since xylazine is also a depressant, taking it in combination with fentanyl raises the already significant risk of overdosing on fentanyl. It deals a double blow to the central nervous system. “Avoid it at all costs,” says UCLA researcher Joseph Friedman.

“We’re seeing an increase in cases with associated deaths, associated with Xylazine,” Dr. Varun Vohra said, adding that the drug has made its way into street drugs.

Dr. Gjon Dushaj warned that “xylazine is harmful when used inappropriately.” “It’s not approved for human use, and we shouldn’t be taking it.” A common use for it is to treat muscle tension in animals like horses.

Many users are unaware of the addition of Xylazine to counterfeit drugs, according to medical professionals. According to medical professionals, even though the effects are almost always fatal, some people manage to pull through.

Because of its extreme potency, xylazine can consume human flesh. If a patient is rushed to the emergency room after consuming Xylazine, the majority of hospitals are unable to test for or treat it.

“Drugs such as Xylazine do not necessarily respond to Narcan,” said Dushaj. We are therefore more aware that something else may be present when you believe someone should respond to Narcan but they don’t.

The Michigan Poison and Drug Information Center at Wayne State University is responding to rising Xylazine use throughout the state.

“We are currently conducting a study in Michigan with a forensic toxicology lab that began testing for this in September of 2019,” Vohra explained. “And so far and so far we have found nearly 200 associated deaths or deaths associated with Xylazine”

Your life is on the line if you don’t get help for your addiction if you’re abusing street drugs, and doctors are sounding the alarm to get people’s attention about this issue.

“When you buy drugs off the street you never know what your getting,” said Dushaj. “And you should be cautious about what you take.”