Xylazine — known on the street as “tranq,” “tranq dope,” or “zombie drug” — is a veterinary sedative appearing with increasing frequency in Georgia’s illicit drug supply. It is mixed with fentanyl, often without the user’s knowledge, and it creates a danger that naloxone (Narcan) alone cannot fully reverse. Understanding xylazine is now a public safety matter for anyone who uses drugs in Georgia — or who loves someone who does.
⚠️ Important
If you suspect a xylazine-involved overdose: still administer naloxone immediately — it reverses the fentanyl component. Call 911. The person may not respond to naloxone as expected because xylazine is not an opioid and naloxone does not reverse its effects. Emergency medical care is essential.
What Is Xylazine?
Xylazine (brand name Rompun) is an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist used in veterinary medicine as a sedative and analgesic — primarily for large animals including horses and cattle. It is not approved for human use. It produces sedation, analgesia, muscle relaxation, and significant slowing of heart rate and breathing. In humans, it can cause profound sedation, respiratory depression, low blood pressure, and slow heart rate — effects that compound the respiratory depression already caused by fentanyl in a polydrug overdose.
Xylazine is not an opioid. Naloxone works by blocking opioid receptors — it will reverse the fentanyl component of a fentanyl-xylazine overdose but will not reverse xylazine’s sedative effects. A person who has received naloxone for a xylazine-involved overdose may not wake up as expected — they may remain deeply sedated or have respiratory depression that persists after naloxone. This is why emergency medical response is essential even after naloxone administration in any suspected overdose in Georgia’s current drug environment.
The Wound Problem
The feature of xylazine exposure that has shocked clinicians is the skin and tissue wounds it produces. People who use xylazine-adulterated fentanyl develop severe, necrotic (tissue-dying) wounds — often at injection sites, but also in areas completely remote from injection, suggesting a systemic vascular mechanism. These wounds are unlike typical injection site infections. They progress rapidly, can extend deep into muscle and bone, and in severe cases result in amputation.
Wound care has become an urgent clinical need in xylazine-affected communities. The wounds do not respond to standard infection treatment alone because they are not primarily infectious — they involve vascular compromise and tissue death. Specialized wound care, often requiring infectious disease, vascular surgery, and plastic surgery involvement, is now being provided by harm reduction programs and emergency departments in cities where xylazine is prevalent.
Where Is Xylazine in Georgia?
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the DEA Atlanta Field Division have documented xylazine in drug seizures across Metro Atlanta. Xylazine contamination of the fentanyl supply began in the northeastern United States and has spread across the country. National drug seizure data from 2024 shows xylazine in fentanyl samples in all 50 states. Georgia’s drug supply is not immune — xylazine-involved overdose presentations have appeared in Metro Atlanta emergency departments.
Fentanyl test strips detect fentanyl but do not detect xylazine. There is no widely available consumer test strip for xylazine, though some harm reduction organizations are working to develop them. Drug checking services — organizations that will analyze a sample for content — are the most reliable current method for detecting xylazine, and these services remain limited in Georgia.
If Someone You Know Uses Fentanyl or Heroin
The practical harm reduction recommendations in Georgia’s current drug environment: Always have naloxone (available without prescription at Georgia pharmacies). Never use alone. Call 911 for any overdose regardless of naloxone response. If wounds appear around injection sites or elsewhere — do not wait for them to progress, seek wound care early. And if opioid use disorder is present, evidence-based treatment including Suboxone (buprenorphine) MAT is the most effective intervention for reducing ongoing overdose risk.
Fentanyl Addiction Treatment — Same-Day MAT Available
Suboxone induction available for clients in active withdrawal. In-network with major GA insurance. 770-573-9546.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does naloxone work for xylazine overdose?
Naloxone reverses the fentanyl component of a fentanyl-xylazine overdose but does not reverse xylazine’s effects. Always administer naloxone immediately and call 911 — the person needs emergency medical care even if they partially respond to naloxone.
Is xylazine in Georgia’s drug supply?
Yes. GBI and DEA Atlanta data document xylazine in Metro Atlanta drug seizures. National data shows xylazine present in fentanyl supplies across all 50 states as of 2024-2025.
What causes xylazine wounds?
The exact mechanism is not fully understood, but xylazine causes vasoconstriction (narrowing of blood vessels) that reduces blood flow to skin and tissues. This can cause tissue death (necrosis) both at and remote from injection sites. Early wound care is essential — these wounds progress rapidly without treatment.
Can I get treatment for fentanyl addiction if xylazine is also involved?
Yes. Opioid use disorder treatment with buprenorphine (Suboxone) addresses fentanyl dependency regardless of whether xylazine is also present. We coordinate wound care referrals for clients who need them. Call 770-573-9546 for a same-day assessment.
