Xylazine is not an opioid, but it has sedative properties. Its addition to drugs such as fentanyl or heroin can complicate treatment because the human use of “tranq” — its coined name — is new, meaning there’s little research on it, no FDA-approved treatments and few protocols, physicians said.
One of the key treatment questions surrounds wound care because some patients have reported wounds in areas in which they have never injected drugs and wounds that are “four fingers wide.”
“We’ll start treating for opioid withdrawal, and they should be getting better — but we’ll see chills, sweating, restlessness, anxiety, agitation,” Philip Moore, DO, chief medical officer of Gaudenzia, a nonprofit substance use disorder provider, told the Inquirer. “They’re very, very unpleasant symptoms. That’s what triggers us that we’re dealing with a more complicated withdrawal, that there’s more xylazine in the mix.”
Becker’s 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit is the top tier event that the people leading the future of pharmacy convene. This 3-day event is built specifically for Chief Pharmacy Officers and senior pharmacy leaders. The sessions examine the workforce, financial and clinical priorities shaping pharmacy today. Becker’s is where candid discussions flourish and new ideas thrive. Becker's 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit
