Tranq drug – A new threat to public health

Abstract

The Tranq drog represents the new combination of substances at increased risk of abuse (fentanyl/fentanyl analogs and xylazine) currently affecting states such as Puerto Rico, the United States, and Canada. This type of drug is responsible for both the occurrence of necrotizing infected ulcers at the injection site of users, as well as the ineffectiveness of the antidote naloxone in treating overdoses and the lack of testing for xylazine detection. Public Health Departments in the US are conducting an ongoing battle to inform the public of the existence of xylazine as a prevalent contaminant in street drugs and to educate in first aid measures to limit adverse effects and deaths occurring post Tranq use. This paper aimed to warn of the new urgent public health challenge emerging among American drug users, responsible for the highest overdose mortality rates at this time.