First responders in Tennessee are now training on how to respond to overdoses involving an increasingly popular drug that can be deadly.
Xylazine, commonly known as 'tranq,' is an animal tranquilizer and is sometimes mixed with fentanyl.
The emergency medicine Narcan is now widely popular and available to treat overdoses.
But 'tranq' is not an opioid, and that means Narcan is ineffective.
"A very dangerous, very bad situation," says Captain Skyler Phillips.
Captain Skyler Phillips with the Chattanooga Fire Department says they are seeing this drug on calls throughout the city.
According to the DEA, it’s causing a public safety alert.
"It is very fast, becoming one of the number one adulterants of drugs out in the street today," says Phillips.
One of the more recent overdoses involving xylazine happened to a child whose life ended before it began. Back in April, Montana Stephan Greathouse died, and an autopsy revealed the presence of tranq in his system, along with several other drugs. Both of his parents now face charges.
Executive Chief of Police Harry Summers told us recently the mixture of Xylazine and fentanyl can cause a dramatic effect on a person's skin, causing a breakout of large ulcerations. Medical experts say it could even result in an amputation.
Captain Phillips is hosting trainings on the drug.
"We want to begin breathing for the patient as quickly as possible, so that you know, we have the best chance of survival," says Phillips.
And firefighters are often the first ones on the scene.
The DEA says the drug even more dangerous because it’s often mixed with Fentanyl. In 2022, the DEA seized Xylazine and Fentanyl mixtures in 48 out of 50 states.
We spoke with Debra Clark, the Regional Overdose Prevention Specialist for the Hamilton County Coalition, about the drug.
"They are adding it in with these other illicit substances, because it tends to prolong the harm that they're getting," says Clark.
The DEA says Xylazine overdoses are also more difficult to identify, since they appear similar to opioid OD’s and may not be included in routine drug screenings.
"It's very important that the individual gets medical attention because nothing that they can do on site is going to affect Xylazine," says Clark.
According to the DEA, this drug is readily available for purchase on other Internet sites in liquid and powder form, often with no association to the veterinary profession nor requirements to prove legitimate need.
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