Tennessee's New Nightmare: 'Zombie Drug' Xylazine Gallops Through

'Zombie Drug' Xylazine Gallops Through Overdose Statistics, Tennessee's New Nightmare

Source: Wikipedia/Zemxer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A once niche veterinary sedative, typically used to tranquilize horses, is contributing to a growing public health challenge in Tennessee and beyond as xylazine, nicknamed the "zombie drug," infiltrates the opioid epidemic. As reported by The Tennessean, the misuse of xylazine, which can bring about grave skin infections in human users, has notably increased in conjunction with overdose deaths, a disturbing trend that saw the drug gaining traction initially in the eastern part of Tennessee and now across the state.

Initially cleared for animal use by the FDA in the 1970s, the reappearance of xylazine as an additive to potent opioids such as fentanyl has been alarming, the U.S. News & World Report highlights CDC findings that show an astronomical rise in xylazine-involved overdose deaths from 102 incidents in 2018 to a staggering 3,468 by 2021, these statistics reflect not just a casual uptick in use but an exponential surge that is exceedingly concerning.

Amplifying the gravity of the situation, CDC research presented by U.S. News & World Report revealed that xylazine was present in nearly 11% of all fatal fentanyl overdoses by June 2022, which is almost quadruple the percentage from January 2019. The presence of xylazine aggravates the risk of overdose as well as causes severe skin ulcers, a factor that complicates the already dire opioid crisis.

The infiltration of xylazine into the illicit drug market necessitates a keen public health response, something social service and health care providers in Tennessee are engaged in as they formulate strategies to combat the drug's hazardous infiltration which is despite warnings from the FDA about the dire consequences of human exposure to the substance these warning that unfortunately appear to have fallen short of stemming the tide of xylazine abuse, as evidenced by data shared by Knox News on X. Efforts to raise awareness and enhance treatment protocols are underway, meeting an urgent need in the health crisis fueled by tainted opioids.