The xylazine-fentanyl nexus: A public health emergency
The US opioid crisis has rapidly escalated over the past 4 decades, with a shifting profile of available substances contributing to rising fatalities. Leading this crisis is illicitly manufactured fentanyl, now increasingly adulterated with xylazine, a veterinary sedative not approved for human use....
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | SAGE Open Medicine |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/20503121251348068 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850211749049925632 |
|---|---|
| author | Kanwarpreet Singh Sandhu Siddarth Kumar Keshav Garg Kanishk Aggarwal Mayank Tiwwary Griffin Perry Vasu Bansal Rohit Jain |
| author_facet | Kanwarpreet Singh Sandhu Siddarth Kumar Keshav Garg Kanishk Aggarwal Mayank Tiwwary Griffin Perry Vasu Bansal Rohit Jain |
| author_sort | Kanwarpreet Singh Sandhu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The US opioid crisis has rapidly escalated over the past 4 decades, with a shifting profile of available substances contributing to rising fatalities. Leading this crisis is illicitly manufactured fentanyl, now increasingly adulterated with xylazine, a veterinary sedative not approved for human use. Despite a greater awareness in recent years regarding the vital role of naloxone in preventing fatal cases of overdose, xylazine has been associated with a sharp increase in overdose-related deaths due to its potent central nervous system effects. Recent data suggest a significant spread of xylazine, underscoring the importance of strategies to counteract fentanyl and implement aggressive supportive care for xylazine-fentanyl toxicity. This combination, often undetectable by standard drug tests, presents challenges in diagnosis and treatment of overdoses. These challenges have become relevant among young adults, a demographic particularly affected, underscoring the need for harm reduction measures and further research into the shifting patterns of fentanyl-related intoxication across the United States. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7072caa3e1ca46b887be40fa2bbdf7cb |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2050-3121 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SAGE Open Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-7072caa3e1ca46b887be40fa2bbdf7cb2025-08-20T02:09:29ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open Medicine2050-31212025-06-011310.1177/20503121251348068The xylazine-fentanyl nexus: A public health emergencyKanwarpreet Singh Sandhu0Siddarth Kumar1Keshav Garg2Kanishk Aggarwal3Mayank Tiwwary4Griffin Perry5Vasu Bansal6Rohit Jain7Government Medical College, Amritsar, IndiaArmed Forces Medical College, Pune, IndiaGovernment Medical College, Chandigarh, IndiaDayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, IndiaKasturba Medical College, Manipal, IndiaPenn State College of Medicine Hershey, PA, USADayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, IndiaDepartment of Internal Medicine, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, USAThe US opioid crisis has rapidly escalated over the past 4 decades, with a shifting profile of available substances contributing to rising fatalities. Leading this crisis is illicitly manufactured fentanyl, now increasingly adulterated with xylazine, a veterinary sedative not approved for human use. Despite a greater awareness in recent years regarding the vital role of naloxone in preventing fatal cases of overdose, xylazine has been associated with a sharp increase in overdose-related deaths due to its potent central nervous system effects. Recent data suggest a significant spread of xylazine, underscoring the importance of strategies to counteract fentanyl and implement aggressive supportive care for xylazine-fentanyl toxicity. This combination, often undetectable by standard drug tests, presents challenges in diagnosis and treatment of overdoses. These challenges have become relevant among young adults, a demographic particularly affected, underscoring the need for harm reduction measures and further research into the shifting patterns of fentanyl-related intoxication across the United States.https://doi.org/10.1177/20503121251348068 |
| spellingShingle | Kanwarpreet Singh Sandhu Siddarth Kumar Keshav Garg Kanishk Aggarwal Mayank Tiwwary Griffin Perry Vasu Bansal Rohit Jain The xylazine-fentanyl nexus: A public health emergency SAGE Open Medicine |
| title | The xylazine-fentanyl nexus: A public health emergency |
| title_full | The xylazine-fentanyl nexus: A public health emergency |
| title_fullStr | The xylazine-fentanyl nexus: A public health emergency |
| title_full_unstemmed | The xylazine-fentanyl nexus: A public health emergency |
| title_short | The xylazine-fentanyl nexus: A public health emergency |
| title_sort | xylazine fentanyl nexus a public health emergency |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/20503121251348068 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kanwarpreetsinghsandhu thexylazinefentanylnexusapublichealthemergency AT siddarthkumar thexylazinefentanylnexusapublichealthemergency AT keshavgarg thexylazinefentanylnexusapublichealthemergency AT kanishkaggarwal thexylazinefentanylnexusapublichealthemergency AT mayanktiwwary thexylazinefentanylnexusapublichealthemergency AT griffinperry thexylazinefentanylnexusapublichealthemergency AT vasubansal thexylazinefentanylnexusapublichealthemergency AT rohitjain thexylazinefentanylnexusapublichealthemergency AT kanwarpreetsinghsandhu xylazinefentanylnexusapublichealthemergency AT siddarthkumar xylazinefentanylnexusapublichealthemergency AT keshavgarg xylazinefentanylnexusapublichealthemergency AT kanishkaggarwal xylazinefentanylnexusapublichealthemergency AT mayanktiwwary xylazinefentanylnexusapublichealthemergency AT griffinperry xylazinefentanylnexusapublichealthemergency AT vasubansal xylazinefentanylnexusapublichealthemergency AT rohitjain xylazinefentanylnexusapublichealthemergency |