Testing for Xylazine, the New Flesh-Eating Zombie Drug

Valley Medical and Wellness is now offering urine testing for a new class of potentially deadly drug that is sweeping the nation. Xylazine is a veterinary sedative, sometimes known as “tranq” or “tranq dope,” that users often mix with fentanyl, heroin, and other street drugs. Human use of Xylazine can cause a zombie-like breakdown of the skin, drastic blood pressure changes, depression in the respiratory system, and hyperglycemia. It sometimes causes flesh wounds so severe they require amputation.

Because Xylazine is not an opiate, it is not often tested for by hospitals and other mainstream facilities. For this reason, Valley Medical is now including Xylazine as one of the analytes tested for in its standard toxicology panel.

Tales of Xylazine use and abuse are spreading throughout the media. A recent story in The New York Times, titled “Tranq Dope: Animal Sedative Mixed with Fentanyl Brings Fresh Horror to U.S. Drug Zones,” focused on how Xylazine, which is Narcan-resistant, is causing increasing harm across the entire country.

Senator Chuck Schumer of New York has called on the FDA to crack down on illicit sources of Xylazine. He called Xylazine “a horrific skin rotting zombie drug plaguing our streets, overwhelming law enforcement, and causing serious concern because it is Narcan resistant, putting lives at risk.” 

Valley Medical shares Senator Schumer’s concern. Because of the burgeoning crisis, we are now offering its Xylazine testing not only to our own patients but also to treatment centers and other facilities across the state of Minnesota. Contact us at treatment@valleymedical.com to learn how your facility can incorporate Valley Medical's Xylazine testing into your services. 

Author

Michael Miller Michael Miller is a Business Process Writer at Valley Medical and Wellness. He's an established writer with more than 200 books and thousands of articles published over the past three decades. He writes on a variety of topics, from healthcare to technology to music. He is also a member of the Interstellar Foundation, dedicated to telling the story of humankind via NASA spacecraft traveling beyond the solar system.