LOWELL — Xylazine, a powerful sedative and pain reliever that is FDA-approved for use in animals, has been linked to an increasing number of overdose deaths throughout the country.
According to front-line workers, the drug has made its way into Lowell.
Robin Brown works in the Middlesex Sherriff’s Department on Summer Street with the Families in Treatment program. She says the community she works with knows about the drug.
“Xylazine is out there,” she said. “It started out in Puerto Rico, moved into New York, Boston and is now in the Merrimack Valley.”
The Lowell Police Department sent out a public safety alert to residents via its social media channels warning that Xylazine, also known as “tranq” or “tranq dope,” can be laced in with fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and other illicit substances.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is prescribed to treat severe pain, and is used mostly in the treatment of cancer patients. It is a potent narcotic — almost 100 times stronger than morphine. Adding an animal tranquilizer to a potent synthetic opioid could be a lethal combination.
More worrying is that while naloxone (Narcan) can reverse the effects of opioids like fentanyl, it has no demonstrated effect on Xylazine.
The Food and Drug Administration issued an alert in November warning the public that “we do not know if side effects from xylazine exposure can be reversed by naloxone.” The alert went on to describe the drug as not reactive to “routine toxicology screens.”
Narcan quickly reverses the effects of opioids on the body, and can save a life when administered to an individual experiencing an overdose. The drug has no major side effects, and can be administered by members of the public with limited training.
In August, the City Council voted to accept a $1.9 million federal grant over the next four years awarded to the Lowell Health Department to enhance naloxone training and distribution.
Narcan kits are available at Lowell community health and outreach providers, as well as public locations such as Lowell Housing Authority properties, South Common and Roberto Clemente parks.
As of December, PrideStar Trinity Emergency Medical Services, the city’s contract provider for emergency 911 service, has responded to more than 1,000 overdose calls in Lowell, with almost 50 of the calls for school-aged children 17 and under, a statistic of 5%.
The danger of not being able to rescue fentanyl overdoses was addressed in an American Academy of Pediatrics paper issued this month that noted that “Adulteration by xylazine is an emerging public health threat nationally. Our report reveals that pediatricians should be aware that children may be harmed because of accidental or intentional exposure.”
The paper described 3 cases of “synthetic opioid intoxication complicated by the concomitant presence of the additive xylazine. Three exposed children presented with severe signs and symptoms, 2 of whom experienced cardiac arrest, a need for continuous naloxone infusion or multiple naloxone doses, or mechanical ventilation to treat respiratory failure after their exposures.”
Co-op Supervisor Maricia Verma of the Lowell Community Opioid Outreach Program directed calls to the City Manager’s office, who could not be reached by press deadline for a statement on the city’s plan to address the emergent threat of xylazine to an ongoing opioid crisis.
Police departments in Chelmsford and Billerica said they were aware of the drug, but had not seen an identifiable impact in their communities.
Opioid-related overdoses in the commonwealth started rising in 2011, and peaked in 2016. From 2017 to 2019, rates remained stable, but during the COVID-19 pandemic years of 2020 to 2021, began to rise.
In Lowell, the number of confirmed opioid-related overdose deaths plateaued at 44 in 2019, and 46 in 2020. But in 2021, they rose sharply to 61, almost as high as the number of cases (66) in 2016. The 2022 numbers have not yet been released by the state’s Health and Human Services Division.
At its February meeting, Lowell’s Board of Health will release Trinity’s overdose report for December.
In its alert, the LPD advised residents suffering from addiction, to be extra vigilant. “Do not use when you are alone, check on loved ones frequently and call 911 immediately if you witness an overdose. If you or a loved one need help, please contact the Co-op program at 978-631-7240.”