Xylazine is a powerful drug used to sedate animals for surgery or relieve pain, but according to the CDC, it is now being used as a recreational drug.
John Moses with the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department says overdoses associated with the drug xylazine has become a concern.
“The scary thing about xylazine, which is this horse tranquilizer, is that it is not a controlled substance by the FDA because it is not approved for human use,” said Moses.”It’s a veterinarian medicine.”
Xylazine is not approved for human use, but is now often mixed with illegal drugs.
“It acts like an opioid, but it’s not. We can give somebody naloxone to reverse an opioid overdose, and it may restore their breathing, but they may not wake up,” said Moses.
According to the CDC, if injected, xylazine can lower blood pressure, makes the heart beat slower, slow down the brain and breathing as well as cause severe skin wounds.
It has also been linked to overdose deaths.
Dr. Chris Smith is the owner of Lexington Equine Medical Group. He says xylazine is commonly used in his line of work.