Deadly ‘zombie’ drug rots your skin — and it’s hit the 2-state region

AUGUSTA, Ga. – There’s a harmful new drug that may rot your pores and skin right down to the bone, and it’s on the streets in South Carolina.

Though studies aren’t widespread but in Georgia, it might solely be a matter of time, judging by the way it’s sweeping the East Coast.

It’s known as the zombie drug – an animal tranquilizer usually blended with fentanyl or heroin – due to its results in your pores and skin, plus the dazed look within the eyes of its customers, who expertise hallucinations and unconsciousness.

Not less than six adults and presumably two adolescents in South Carolina overdosed final week on the drug that’s recognized by its customers as Tranq and scientifically as Xylazine.

It was confirmed because the drug concerned within the grownup overdoses and suspected within the adolescent overdoses in Clarendon County. Fortunately nobody died in South Carolina, though individuals have in locations like Cincinnati.

Scientific counselors say signs embrace extreme pores and skin, bone, and muscle infections for customers who inject the drug.

Anytime individuals use any substance now, “it’s enjoying Russian roulette,” mentioned Tammy Anderson, a scientific counselor for Clarendon Behavioral Well being Companies.

The drug is already particularly rampant in Philadephia, the place it’s reportedly in 90% of town’s drug provide. It’s additionally now being present in New York.

Anderson says she first heard about Tranq from her sufferers just some weeks in the past.

“Sadly, not like fentanyl, which could be reversed with Narcan, Tranq can’t,” mentioned Anderson.

That’s as a result of Xylazine isn’t an opioid.

Sydnee McElroy – a health care provider in West Virginia, has been seeing an uptick within the drug for some time – mentioned Narcan needs to be used anyway.

“It’s actually necessary that we take away the opiates as a result of that can assist them begin respiratory,” McElroy mentioned.

What makes the drug so harmful is that even when an individual experiencing an overdose begins respiratory if Narcan is run, they won’t get up till the consequences of Xylazine put on off.

On Tuesday, the Meals and Drug Enforcement Administration introduced it’s working to limit imports of Xylazine to make sure it goes to these legally utilizing it.

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