Animal sedative, xylazine, mixed with fentanyl linked to Minnesota deaths

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MPR 11/22/22

Some Minnesota health officials say they are seeing deaths connected to a drug sometimes used to prolong the high of fentanyl and other opioids, and it may be interfering with a common overdose-reversal treatment.

The drug xylazine is FDA-approved for use in animals, like horses and cattle, as a sedative and pain reliever. It’s also been found mixed with opioids like fentanyl to extend their effects.

Now, federal officials are warning health care professionals that xylazine may not respond to overdose-reversal drugs, like naloxone, also known as Narcan.

... Xylazine use has been previously reported in several other states including Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. VICE News recently reported the drug has spread to 39 states.

... Part of the difficulty for physicians is that it can also be hard to tell if xylazine is in someone’s system.

More: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/11/22/animal-sedative-mixed-with-fentanyl-linked-to-minn-deaths-worrying-health-professionals

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1. Minnesota's Good Samaritan overdose medical assistance statute

Minnesota’s Good Samaritan overdose medical assistance statute provides some protection for people who call 911 during a medical emergency, stating that “[a] person acting in good faith who seeks medical assistance for another person who is experiencing a drug-related overdose may not be charged or prosecuted for the possession, sharing, or use of a controlled substance … or drug-related paraphernalia.”

And in cases like these, Baker says time is of the essence.

“If somebody appears to be overdosing in front of you, for any reason, if they stop breathing, the window of time you have to save their life is going to be measured in minutes,” he said. “You can't just assume that somebody is using pure fentanyl and you're going to be able to easily reverse that with Narcan. That's not always the case when the fentanyl is mixed with something else.”

[OldBaldy1701E]

2. Well, you remove the pain medicine option, and this is what you get.

Not to mention the cost of finding actual medical help in this country. This is not surprising.