Vermont

janterry

(4,429 posts) Wed Nov 3, 2021, 03:16 PM Nov 2021

Horse, cattle sedative contributing to opioid overdose deaths in Vermont

The drug, xylazine, is used as a sedative, muscle relaxant and pain reliever in animals such as horses and cattle. It is not approved for human use.

In people, researchers say, it reduces the functioning of the central nervous system and can cause respiratory depression, slowed heart rate and low blood pressure.

But some Vermonters have apparently taken the drug along with opioids such as fentanyl and heroin.

Between January 2019 and July of this year, 26 Vermonters who died from an opioid overdose also had xylazine in their system, according to a report issued Thursday by the Vermont Department of Health.

https://vtdigger.org/2021/11/02/health-officials-horse-cattle-sedative-contributing-to-opioid-overdose-deaths-in-vermont/

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Horse, cattle sedative contributing to opioid overdose deaths in Vermont (Original Post) janterry Nov 2021 OP

Pretty sure that is what a friend died from happybird Nov 2021 #1

oh, no janterry Nov 2021 #2

Oh, thank you. happybird Nov 2021 #3

happybird

(5,242 posts)

1. Pretty sure that is what a friend died from

Reply to janterry (Original post)

Wed Nov 3, 2021, 04:24 PM

Nov 2021

Last edited Wed Nov 3, 2021, 05:16 PM - Edit history (1)

at the beginning of October. He had been dropped by his long time pain management clinic and started buying pain pills off the street. The week after his OD, several local news orgs put out a warning about this drug.

Edit to add: The warnings were not about his case, specifically, but a series of overdoses in the area over the previous month. The timing is what makes us think he got a batch of that stuff. Still waiting on the toxicology report.