TOLEDO, Ohio — A large animal sedative known to be used in treatment by veterinarians is now becoming a problem for humans.
"It's incredibly scary to think that humans are utilizing an animal tranquilizer to catch a buzz off of," said Matt Bell, the chief executive officer and founder of Team Recovery, an addiction treatment center in west Toledo.
Bell is talking about Xylazine, which he says he's seen the negative effects of up close.
Earlier this year, he traveled to Kensington, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, where he says the drug has taken over the streets.
"These folks in Philadelphia, their drug of choice is Xylazine," Bell said. "And in fact, if they know that someone has fentanyl, and this person has Xylazine, they want the Xylazine. Their body is so accustomed to it that they need it to survive more than they need fentanyl or the opioid."
Xylazine is not meant to be ingested by humans, according to the Mayo Clinic. Narcan also cannot be used to reverse the overdose-causing effects of it, unlike with typical opioids such as fentanyl, heroin and oxycontin.
"There are people who are looking for that sedative effect," said Mahjida Berryman, injury prevention supervisor for the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department. "When you look at people who use drugs, they are typically looking for pain management, whether it's mental or physical."
Overdose deaths involving Xylazine in the state have gone up from 15 in 2019, to 45 in 2020, 75 in 2021 and 113 as of March 2022, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
Since it's not an opioid, Berryman says Xylazine takes special testing to track it, so it doesn't show up on a traditional toxicology report.
But she says it's still in Toledo.
"Xylazine has been in about 10% of our drugs, so we know that it is here and the coroner was able to detect it in just a couple fatal overdoses last year, I think less than four," Berryman said.
Xylazine can cause side effects such as ulcers, skin lesions and severe withdrawal, according to the CDC. However, death is not guaranteed as Berryman says it depends on individuals and how much one ingests.
But, Bell says society needs to try and control it before it's too late.
"I'm scared for my kids," he said. "I'm scared for our future generations. I really am because ... I don't think we've ever seen something like this before. I thought the opioid crisis was bad. If this gets out of control, it's going to be tragic."
If you are in need of substance addiction treatment, here are places in Lucas County that can offer help: