Cincinnati.com: Not just fentanyl. Animal tranquilizer xylazine is embedded in Ohio's drug supply

“Don’t assume it’s safe,” he said. “Inhaling it, ingesting it, does not prevent you from getting the complications.” 

The drug is often used to sedate cattle, sheep, horses or dogs, and is “very complicated,” Ryan said, as it attacks the body in multiple ways. 

Xylazine decreases adrenaline, he said, causing sedation. That drop may lead to a dangerously slow heart rate, low blood pressure, respiratory depression and more. It can also narrow the microscopic arteries in the skin, decreasing blood supply to the skin and creating open sores, which can become gaping wounds.  

The sores may appear anywhere on the body, according to medical articles. Unlike injection sores that intravenous drug users may suffer from, xylazine wounds are a systemic effect of the drug itself. And as the open wounds progress, the tissue affected can die, Cincinnati.com reported.

A xylazine overdose is harder to reverse because it does not react to naloxone, and bystanders who try to revive someone might not realize what’s going on. Ryan said people still should use naloxone if they see someone who appears to be overdosing. They have often ingested fentanyl, too.  

If that doesn’t work, “call 911,” Ryan said. “Start CPR.”

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