Talk:Xylazine

Xylazine was discovered in Leverkusen, Germany by the Bayer Company in 1962 to treat hypertension in veterinary medicine. Studies in humans found it to be a dangerous central nervous system depressant which would significantly decrease blood pressure and heart rate in healthy volunteers. Due to its hazardous side effects, the drug was never approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for human use.

Xylazine is FDA approved for veterinary use as a sedative, analgesic and muscle relaxant in certain animals, such as cats, dogs, horses and deer. The combination of ketamine and xylazine (also known as a rodent cocktail) is the most common anaesthetic used in veterinary medicine and scientific research.

The drug is often diverted from veterinarians and used as a cutting agent to make sedative street drugs appear stronger.^[1]

Xylazine, or N-(2,6-Dimethylphenyl)-5,6-dihydro-4H-1,3-thiazin-2-amine, is a compound of the imidazoline chemical class. Imidazolines are substituted amidines in which the amidine function is incorporated into an imidazoline ring

The pharmacology of xylazine is well established in animal species, however human studies are scarce.

Xylazine is structurally similar to clonidine and an agonist for the α₂ adrenergic receptor. When α₂ receptors in the brain are stimulated, peripheral vascular resistance decreases, resulting in lowered blood pressure. It has specificity towards the presynaptic α₂ receptors in the vasomotor center in the brainstem. This binding decreases presynaptic calcium levels and inhibits the release of norepinephrine (NE). The net effect is a decrease in sympathetic nervous system tone.

Xylazine alone does not have real recreational benefit. It is mostly used by disabled people in poverty for pain relief, to stave off addiction or extend the effects of stronger, low quality opioids such as fentanyl. It is also often added to depressant substances by drug dealers to have their products appear more potent.Disclaimer: The effects listed below cite the Subjective Effect Index (SEI), an open research literature based on anecdotal user reports and the personal analyses of PsychonautWiki contributors. As a result, they should be viewed with a healthy degree of skepticism.

It is also worth noting that these effects will not necessarily occur in a predictable or reliable manner, although higher doses are more liable to induce the full spectrum of effects. Likewise, adverse effects become increasingly likely with higher doses and may include addiction, severe injury, or death ☠.

Experience reports

There are currently 0 experience reports which describe the effects of this substance in our experience index. Additional experience reports can be found here:

• Erowid Experience Vaults: Xylazine

Xylazine has little or no recreational benefit and is extremely dangerous for the user and will likely lead to medical complications or death. Usage may lead to dependence, diabetes, heart complications, loss of muscle mass, coma, and hyperglycemia. Injection sites may quickly deteriorate, develop necrosis, develop ulcers, develop abscesses and/or become infected. Xylazine related skin wounds can heal if a person seeks medical care and keeps their wounds clean, but continued use may greatly delay or prevent the healing process. These wounds are extremely painful and may have a foul odour. In severe cases amputation may be necessary.

It is strongly recommended that one use harm reduction practices if they decide to use this substance, or take measures to ensure they are not taking it unknowingly in other drugs using xylazine test strips. Xylazine may be found in almost any drug, even THC vape cartridges.

Lethal dosage

Overdose is often irreversible and fatal in humans. Depending on other drugs used, symptoms may last 8-72 hours. Naloxone will not reverse a xylazine overdose but should still be administered, as fentanyl is present in approximately 98% of xylazine overdoses^[2]. Xylazine is known to cause toxicity and death in humans at dosage ranges as wide as 40mg to 2400mg ^[3] but post-mortem examination may reveal only trace amounts of the drug. In 2020, xylazine was present in 25.8% of overdose deaths in Philadelphia.^[2]

As of 2014, multiple drugs have been used for therapeutic intervention, including lidocaine, naloxone, thiamine, lorazepam, vecuronium, etomidate, propofol, tolazoline, yohimbine, atropine, orciprenaline, metoclopramide, ranitidine, metoprolol, enoxaparin, flucloxacillin, insulin, and irrigation of both eyes with saline.

Tolerance and addiction potential

Xylazine is an addictive substance and may cause dependence and withdrawals even in those who unknowingly used it.

Dangerous interactions

Warning: Many psychoactive substances that are reasonably safe to use on their own can suddenly become dangerous and even life-threatening when combined with certain other substances. The following list provides some known dangerous interactions (although it is not guaranteed to include all of them).

Always conduct independent research (e.g. Google, DuckDuckGo, PubMed) to ensure that a combination of two or more substances is safe to consume. Some of the listed interactions have been sourced from TripSit.

• Depressants (1,4-Butanediol, 2M2B, alcohol, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, GHB/GBL, methaqualone, opioids) - This combination potentiates the muscle relaxation, amnesia, sedation, and respiratory depression caused by one another. At higher doses, it can lead to a sudden, unexpected loss of consciousness along with a dangerous amount of depressed respiration. There is also an increased risk of suffocating on one's vomit while unconscious. If nausea or vomiting occurs before a loss of consciousness, users should attempt to fall asleep in the recovery position or have a friend move them into it.
• Dissociatives - This combination can unpredictably potentiate the amnesia, sedation, motor control loss and delusions that can be caused by each other. It may also result in a sudden loss of consciousness accompanied by a dangerous degree of respiratory depression. If nausea or vomiting occurs before consciousness is lost, users should attempt to fall asleep in the recovery position or have a friend move them into it.
• Stimulants - Stimulants mask the sedative effect of depressants, which is the main factor most people use to gauge their level of intoxication. Once the stimulant effects wear off, the effects of the depressant will significantly increase, leading to intensified disinhibition, motor control loss, and dangerous black-out states. This combination can also potentially result in severe dehydration if one's fluid intake is not closely monitored. If choosing to combine these substances, one should strictly limit themselves to a pre-set schedule of dosing only a certain amount per hour until a maximum threshold has been reached.

• United Kingdom: Xylazine is not approved for use in humans by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency nor controlled under the 1971 Act. It is, however, likely to be subject to the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 (“the 2016 Act”).^[4]
• United States: As a veterinary medication, xylazine is not FDA-approved for any human use. It is not currently a controlled substance under the federal Controlled Substances Act. Some states have placed xylazine on their own controlled substances lists. The FDA also took action in early 2023 to restrict unlawful import of xylazine and the ingredients necessary to make xylazine.^[5]
• Canada: As of December 2022, Xylazine was not controlled in Canada under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.^[6]

• Responsible use
• Drug overdose
• Volumetric liquid dosing
• Fentanyl

(List along order below)

• Xylazine (Wikipedia)
• Xylazine (Erowid Vault)

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