Animal tranquillizer found in 10% of tested fentanyl says N.B. harm reduction group – New Brunswick [Video]

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.

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