The ‘zombie drug’ also called ‘tranq’ is the veterinary tranquilizer known as xylazine. Xylazine has been found in the illicit drug supply, sold on its own but also mixed with the deadly opioid fentanyl and other illegal drugs. As a central nervous system (CNS) depressant, xylazine can have profound effects on the mind and body, including slowed brain activity, respiratory depression, skin ulcers, and slowed heart rate and breathing.
What is Xylazine, aka ‘The Zombie Drug’?
Xylazine, also known as ‘tranq dope’ or the ‘zombie drug,’ is a non-opioid sedative drug linked to overdose deaths. The zombie drug, initially used for sedating large animals, has become a severe public health concern among humans. In the illicit drug market, xylazine has been mixed with opioids like fentanyl and heroin, heightening its already devastating effects.
Xylazine comes in liquid and powder form and is often sold in preloaded syringes and vials. Administration routes for the zombie drug include xylazine injection, snorting, swallowing, or inhaling. Injecting xylazine or illicit drug mixtures with tranq can lead to xylazine-related wounds, including skin infections, abscesses, and skin ulcers.
Xylazine’s Side Effects
The effects of the zombie drug are potent and long-lasting, putting users in an immobilizing, zombie-like state. The side effects of xylazine are similar to the effects of opioids, including:
- Drowsiness
- Slowed brain activity
- Muscle relaxation
- Hypertension
- Hyperglycemia
- Reduced heart rate
- Hypothermia
- Slowed breathing
- Skin sores, abscesses, or ulcers
- Muscle (soft tissue) sores
- Dry mouth
- Central nervous system (CNS) depression
- Coma
- Dysrhythmia
The zombie drug can produce adverse, life-threatening effects on the mind and body. When xylazine is mixed with other illicit drugs like cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other substances, the side effects can be fatal. Xylazine is already a potent substance not intended for human consumption, making these illicit drug mixtures of significant concern.
Mixing xylazine with other CNS depressants increases the risk of overdose and other adverse health concerns. Central nervous system (CNS) depressants include alcohol, benzodiazepines, and opioids, including fentanyl, heroin, and morphine.
The Impact of the Zombie Drug on the Mind and Body
Xylazine gets its street name, ‘the zombie drug,’ from its effects on depressing the central nervous system. The risks associated with xylazine or xylazine-containing drugs can lead to both severe psychological and physiological health problems, including fatal overdose.
The Psychological Toll of Xylazine
The zombie drug’s effects on mental health can lead users to experience severe anxiety, confusion, and hallucinations. These psychological effects can spiral into long-term mental health issues and conditions. Xylazine has dissociative impacts, which can cause users to have an altered perception of reality, resulting in the drug’s zombie-like stupor.
Individuals using illicit drug mixtures with tranq may lose touch with reality and be unaware of their surroundings and identity. This dissociation can result in chronic mental health disorders, including psychosis and depression, even after the drug has left the system.
Brain Damage and Cognitive Impairment
As a central nervous system (CNS) depressant drug, xylazine slows down brain activity. Over time, regular tranq abuse can cause permanent brain damage, resulting in severe cognitive impairments. The impact of the zombie drug on cognitive functions leads to reduced decision-making abilities, impulse control, and memory.
Cognitive decline from xylazine abuse can leave individuals with long-lasting mental impairments, significantly impacting their overall quality of life.
The Physical Damage from the Zombie Drug
The physical toll of the zombie drug has led to severe soft tissue damage and necrotic tissue from injecting xylazine. Tissue damage from xylazine has led to wounds below the skin (abscesses), skin ulcers, and necrosis. Skin infections from injection drug abuse can stem from non-sterile drug injection equipment or sharing needles.
Xylazine-related skin wounds can be deep and painful and, without treatment, can lead to necrotic tissue around the injection site. Leaving skin wounds or infections from xylazine untreated can lead to further infection and amputation of the infected body part.
Increased Risk of Overdose
Illicit drug mixtures containing xylazine dramatically raise the chances of overdose and death. Mixing xylazine with opioids like fentanyl combines the drug’s potent sedative effects, facilitating respiratory depression. Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, is the primary driver for rising overdose rates and the opioid crisis in the United States.
In 2022, there were approximately 73,838 overdose deaths involving illicitly manufactured fentanyl. Combining fentanyl with other illicit drugs like the zombie drug or tranq heightens the drug’s side effects, health complications, and overdose risks. Xylazine overdoses, unlike opioid overdoses, cannot be effectively treated or reversed with naloxone (Narcan). Treating an overdose from tranq or xylazine may not be responsive to life-saving naloxone, making them particularly deadly overdoses.
Public Health and Safety Risks
The drug crisis in the United States, including the rise of the zombie drug, continues to have a profound impact on public health and safety. As tranq spreads throughout the illicit drug market, communities are witnessing an increase in drug-related injuries, healthcare costs, and overdose deaths.
Drug intoxication, injuries, and overdoses are straining the healthcare system, requiring more resources and medical assistance to treat the severe effects of xylazine. The presence of the zombie drug in the illicit drug supply further obscures efforts to combat the opioid epidemic, presenting new challenges in drug treatment and prevention.
Seeking Treatment and Recovery for Drug Abuse and Addiction
Understanding the significant impacts of the zombie drug on the mind and physique is critical for addressing this growing public health crisis. Addressing drug abuse and addiction is crucial to preventing overdose risks and the life-threatening effects of xylazine and other illicit drugs.
If you or someone you know is struggling with drug abuse or alcohol addiction, reach out to Rock Recovery today.
Our drug rehab programs in West Palm Beach, FL, are committed to addressing the psychological and physical aspects of drug addiction. Click here for more information on our South Florida addiction treatment facility.
References:
- International Journal of Drug Policy, 2024. Media framing xylazine as a “zombie drug” is amplifying stigma onto people who use drugs.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2024. Xylazine.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024. What You Should Know About Xylazine.
- DEA Joint Intelligence Report, 2022. The Growing Threat of Xylazine and its Mixture with Illicit Drugs.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2024. Drug Overdose Deaths: Facts and Figures.
