What is the ‘Zombie drug’ Xylazine? Here are some symptoms of the drug which created havoc in the US

A new drug known as Xylazine or "tranq" has caused major havoc in cities across the United States by causing deadly symptoms such as skin rotting. This 'zombie drug' was approved for veterinary use by the country's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was used to cut heroin, but it was recently discovered in fentanyl and other illicit drugs, according to the reports.

Xylazine, a non-opioid, is not safe for humans because an overdose prevents one from responding to naloxone, or Narcan—the most commonly used overdose reversal treatment.

Symptoms

With repeated exposure, the drug causes symptoms such as excessive sleepiness, respiratory depression, and raw wounds, which can become severe and spread quickly. If the ulcers are not treated, they can turn into dead skin called eschar, which necessitates amputation.

In 2021, Philadelphia reported that 90% of lab-tested dope samples contained xylazine, which raises the risk of overdose when combined with other illegal substances. The appeal of xylazine stems from the fact that it prolongs the high of opioids such as fentanyl.

However, people suffering from substance abuse disorders claimed that the new drug has snuffed out "any kind of joy" associated with getting high. "Tranq is essentially zombifying people's bodies," Sam, 28(a patient), told the news media. He said that he had no wounds until nine months ago. He now has holes in his legs and feet.

According to the New York City Department of Health, 2,668 people died in New York from xylazine overdoses in 2021, and experts believe that xylazine could exacerbate the ongoing drug epidemic.

FAQs

Q1. What does zombie mean?
It refers to a human who lacks the ability to speak or move (as in voodoo belief and in fictional stories), and who is believed to have died and been supernaturally reanimated. It also refers to a supernatural force that, in voodoo belief, may enter into a dead body and reanimate it.

Q2. Who created the first zombie?
'Night of the Living Dead' by George A. Romero, released in 1968, is regarded as the first fictional zombie in popular culture.