<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none;" alt="" src="https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=2363724&amp;fmt=gif">
Hippoed Blog » Kelly Heidepriem, MD
Browse All Categories
Kelly Heidepriem, MD

Kelly Heidepriem, MD

More from Kelly Heidepriem, MD

Kelly Heidepriem, MD
By Kelly Heidepriem, MD
on September 13, 2023

As clinicians it’s critical that we understand the drugs our patients are using and can identify their side effects, but it can be tough to keep up.

An emerging threat across the country is the use of xylazine, or “tranq.” Xylazine is an animal sedative, muscle relaxant and analgesic with a potent central nervous system depressant effect in humans. This tranquilizer is frequently added to various drug mixtures sold on the street. Tranq can be found across the U.S. – the Drug Enforcement Administration  reports finding it in 48/50 states — and last year almost one quarter of the fentanyl the DEA seized contained xylazine.