The dangerous effects of a drug that makes corpses look like zombies, whose incidence is increasing in America, were shared. Xylazine, also known as “tranq”, “tranq drug” and “zombie drug”, can literally rot the skin of the person using it with its devastating effects.
EFFECTS CAUSED BY THE DRUG
Xylazine causes sedative-like symptoms such as extreme sleepiness and respiratory depression, as well as raw sores that can become serious and spread rapidly with repeated exposure. Crusty ulcerations that can turn into dead skin called eschar can cause amputation if left untreated.
Because it’s not listed as a controlled substance for animals or humans, “calmness” comes down to a confusing and frightening gray area, and hospitals rarely test it with routine toxicology screenings. Last month a Philly user suddenly developed xylazine-specific sores near opioid injection sites.
“I would wake up in the morning crying because my arms were dying,” Tracey McCann, 39, told the New York Times. The city reported that 90% of drug samples tested in the lab from 2021 contained xylazine, which when combined with other illicit substances can increase the risk of overdose. But it is the deadly combination of substances that gives xylazine its appeal – the height of the opioid, like fentanyl, is prolonged with the help of “calm.”
People with substance use disorders who are addicted to a zombifying drug believe that the resulting substance kills “any joy” that comes with getting high.
“I HAVE HOLES IN MY LEGS AND FEET”
“Tranq basically zombies people’s bodies,” 28-year-old Sam told Sky News. “Until nine months ago, I had no wounds. Now I have holes in my legs and feet.”
The worrying “calm down” trend comes as the New York City Department of Health reported that 2,668 New Yorkers died of overdose in 2021. Experts warn that xylazine could worsen the ongoing drug epidemic.