Animal sedative poses increased threat in local drug overdoses

A powerful tranquilizer normally used by veterinarians treating horses and cows was found in more than 18% of fatal overdose cases in Westmoreland County, according to the Coroner’s Office.

Officials said the drug, xylazine, is becoming an increasingly popular additive to heroin, fentanyl and other drugs.

Its presence has local officials concerned that the recent decreases in overdose deaths could be short-lived as use of the xylazine continues to gain popularity among drug dealers.

And addicts might not even know they are using it.

“So many addicts say they don’t like it in there,” said Westmoreland County Detective Tony Marcocci. “Addicts have been telling me they nod out with heroin and fentanyl. This is putting them to sleep, and one of the concerns is they won’t wake up.”

Xylazine is a powerful sedative, and, unlike opioids such as heroin and fentanyl, it cannot be counteracted by the use of Narcan, which is used as a lifesaving treatment for someone who is overdosing.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Jennifer Hammers, who conducts autopsies for Westmoreland, Armstrong, Indiana and Greene counties, said she has seen the use of xylazine grow over the past several years.

“This has been around for a long time. I saw it when I worked in New York City six years ago,” Hammers said.

The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office has tested for xylazine since 2019.

Coroner Tim Carson said xylazine was found in the system of eight of the 115 people who died of overdoses that year. Those numbers increased in each of the past three years. In 31 of the 168 overdoses in 2022, toxicology testing found xylazine was one of the drugs used.

“It’s going up about 25% a year on average,” Carson said.

Allegheny County reported 622 overdose deaths, nearly half attributed to opioids, in 2022.

Officials said Allegheny tests for xylazine but does not have a specific number of cases where it was found as a contributing factor in an overdose.

“We currently can see and identify xylazine in the toxicology analysis. We do not report it, and we do not quantitate it. The pathology team has discussed xylazine several times in our meetings, and, from their perspective, it is not significant to the final cause and manner of death, which is why we currently operate as we do,” said Mandy Tinkey, laboratory director at the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Experts still are reviewing the effects of using xylazine along with opioids, but early reports suggest it will result in more deaths over time.

“If someone uses fentanyl with xylazine, it could lengthen the effect of the fentanyl, prolonging their high. Xylazine slows down a person’s brain function and breathing function and can cause the heart to stop,” Hammers said.

The DEA in a warning issued this month said it has found xylazine in 48 states, including Pennsylvania. The agency also reported that 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills it confiscated last year contained the animal tranquilizer.

Unlike fentanyl, which can be found through the use of testing strips that have recently been legalized in Pennsylvania, there’s no way to know for sure that xylazine was mixed into the drugs, Marcocci said.

And he suggested the tranquilizer is being added to other drugs such as methamphetamine.

“You can’t test for it,” Marcocci said.