What Is Xylazine?
• Xylazine is a tranquilizer used in veterinary medicine. It has analgesic and muscle relaxant properties.
• It requires a veterinary licence for purchase and use. Trade names include Rompun® and Anased®.
• It is not approved for human use by any authorizing association in Canada nor the United States

Why Is It a Concern?
• Xylazine can lower heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. Combining xylazine with opioids or central nervous system depressants like benzodiazepines or alcohol can significantly depress these vital functions, increasing the risk of overdose and death.
• Because xylazine is sometimes added to opioids as an adulterant, people may be unaware of its presence in the unregulated supply, raising the risk for people who use drugs.
• For overdoses involving combinations of xylazine and opioids, naloxone can reverse the opioid effects but has no effect on xylazine. This can impact the success of the overdose response. There is no pharmaceutical antidote specifically for xylazine.
• Frequent xylazine use is reportedly associated with a higher prevalence of skin problems, including abscesses, ulcers and infections (compared with those who do not use xylazine).