Drug Overdoses In Worcester County May Worsen Due To New Drug: DA

WORCESTER, MA — An animal tranquilizer being used alongside opioids and other drugs may hasten drug overdoses in Worcester County, according to local officials.

Worcester County DA Joseph Early Jr. said Monday that the effects of the sedative xylazine cannot be reversed by overdose-reversing medications like Narcan. So far, the sedative has been found mixed with cocaine, heroin and fentanyl in the area.

"Xylazine, a sedative not approved for human use, is not an opioid but can compound the effects of opioids by causing drowsiness, amnesia, slow breathing and heart rate, and dangerously low blood pressure," Early's office said in a news release Tuesday.

The federal National Institute on Drug Abuse said in an April bulletin that the Northeast has been hit hard by xylazine-linked overdoses. The sedative was present in a quarter of all drug overdoses in Pennsylvania in 2020, up from 2 percent in 2015, the NIDA reported.

"Research has shown xylazine is often added to illicit opioids, including fentanyl and people report using xylazine-containing fentanyl to lengthen its euphoric effects. Most overdose deaths linked to both xylazine and fentanyl also involved additional substances, including cocaine, heroin, benzodiazepines, alcohol, gabapentin, methadone and prescription opioids," the institute said.