Xylazine and Overdoses: Trends, Concerns, and Recommendations

Xylazine and Overdoses: Trends, Concerns, and Recommendations

Xylazine is a nonopioid veterinary anesthetic and sedative that is increasingly detected in the illicit drug supply in the United States. Data indicate a striking prevalence of xylazine among opioid-involved overdose deaths. The emergence of xylazine in the illicit drug supply poses many unknowns and potential risks for people who use drugs. The public health system needs to respond by increasing testing to determine the prevalence of xylazine, identifying its potential toxicity at various exposure levels, and taking mitigating action to prevent harms. Currently, there is little testing capable of identifying xylazine in drug supplies, which limits the possibility of public health intervention, implementation of harm reduction strategies, or development of novel treatment strategies. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(8):1212-1216. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306881).

Popular posts from this blog

Managing Patients Taking Xylazine-Adulterated Opioids in Emergency, Hospital, and Addiction Care Settings

Wednesday, June 14, 2023 .   In response to the rapid escalation in the detection of xylazine in the unregulated drug supply, in April 2023, the White House designated fentanyl contaminated with xylazine an "emerging threat". The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Center for the Clinical Trials Network (CCTN) convened health care professionals and federal partners to review current practices in xylazine-related testing, treatment, and wound care to inform evolving best-practices in the field. This convening focused on the most critical areas of concern with the goal of rapidly identifying current practices and a xylazine-opioid research agenda.   https://nida.nih.gov/news-events/meetings-events/2023/06/managing-patients-taking-xylazine-adulterated-opioids-emergency-hospital-addiction-care-settings
Read more

Prescription Drug Misuse and Addiction: Compassionate Care for a Complex Problem

This CME activity provides a practical approach to the management of prescription drug misuse and addiction, including how to use the clinical interview and CURES (California's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program) to identify if a problem exists, and how to intervene once the problem has been identified. Animated didactic videos, interactive slides, and video case scenarios will be used to put these principles into practice with a treatment algorithm. The most compassionate approach to tapering patients down and off the medication they are misusing will also be discussed.   https://edhub.ama-assn.org/stanford-medicine-cme/provider-referrer/14533
Read more

International Overdose Awareness Day, August 31

https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/awareness/ioad.html August 31 marks  International Overdose Awareness Day   (IOAD) , the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose. It’s a day to: Remember  loved ones who have died from drug overdose and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind. Take action  to encourage support and recovery for everyone impacted by substance use and overdose. End overdose  by spreading awareness of overdose prevention strategies. Hashtags : #IOAD2023 #EndOverdose
Read more