Ensemble, a harm-reduction organization and overdose prevention site based in Moncton, N.B., has been testing drugs for xylazine since January.
Xylazine is an animal tranquillizer known to veterinarians as Rompun and Anased, according to the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSUA).
It is sometimes added to opiates like fentanyl to extend the effects of the drug and add bulk, usually unbeknownst to the one consuming it.
“Folks now have switched to directly using fentanyl and we’re finding (xylazine) in 10 per cent of the cases,” Ensemble executive director Debby Warren said.
She said that’s alarming because xylazine wasn’t made for human consumption and can be potentially fatal.
“It affects breathing and heart capacity, that mixed with an opiate that does the same thing, you have a double whammy happening,” Warren said.
Naloxone cannot reverse the effects of xylazine because it is not an opioid or opiate.
There is no pharmaceutical antidote for xylazine, according to the CCSUA.
Warren said it can also cause necrotic wounds, which is particularly dangerous for the vulnerable population Ensemble treats as they may not have access to sanitary conditions to wash and treat their own wounds.
“Very awful sores that develop and get very deep within the skin. There can be a risk of amputation. Any infection in the skin can be very concerning and life-threatening,” she said.
Ensemble uses the services of a nurse assigned to primary health concerns who is provided through the Vitalité Health network.
“A lot of her work is focused on wound care,” Warren said.
“Hopefully folks will go to her sooner rather than later because the more advanced (the wound) is, the harder it is to treat.”
According to Health Canada, while xylazine was first seen in the country in 2001, it has seen an increase in identifications of the drug in samples submitted to the Drug Analysis Service since 2019.
In a statement, a spokesperson for New Brunswick’s Department of Health told Global News the drug was first identified in the province’s drug supply in 2016.
There has been one recorded death linked to xylazine in the province.
The department said it “recognizes the increasing toxicity and unpredictability of the unregulated drug supply is a major issue in New Brunswick and across Canada.”
“This increasingly toxic supply includes the presence of xylazine, but also of many other substances of concern such as benzodiazepines, nitazenes and fentanyl,” the statement read.
The province’s Public Health department has several recommendations for those using street drugs, including not using alone, using overdose prevention sites where possible, using testers and starting with a small amount.
Those using illegal narcotics can also call the National Overdose Response Service at 1-888-688-NORS (6677), an overdose prevention hotline.
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