Xylazine has been found in multiple overdoses, but because it is combined with other substances like fentanyl or heroin, experts said it was hard to account for how responsible it was for those overdoses.
, and experts and officials are racing to figure out where it's coming from and how to help people who are taking it, even as it's increasingly being identified in overdoses.
It was first detected being used by humans in Puerto Rico in the early 2000s, said Kacinko, and has been reported in the United States for several years. First reports of its use in Philadelphia emerged in 2008, Kacinko said, with more common use being reported in 2019 — by 2023, it was present in most states in the country, and Jose Benitez, the lead executive officer of harm reduction organization Prevention Point, said it is found in 90% of Philadelphia's drug supply.
People often aren't buying xylazine deliberately, Dittmore said, making it riskier. Xylazine also cannot be detected with testing strips the way that fentanyl can be, so people don't know if their drugs are contaminated with it — unless they have access to a costly mass spectrometers, which are typically found in medical settings.
The wounds can also become necrotic, and Kacinko said they can progress to cause soft tissue injury. Benitez said that people at Prevention Point have even heard anecdotal reports of the wounds progressing to a point where they require amputation of the limb, and said that area hospitals have reported an increase in visits for advanced skin and soft tissue infections.
Now, as part of her work, Beddis runs a streetside wound care clinic that offers aid to people in need.
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