Increased instances involving ‘Tranq’ in the region

Interior Health is warning the public of an increase in incidents involving Xylazine, or ‘Tranq.’

‘Tranq’ is a veterinary sedative and muscle relaxant that is not approved for human use, but is very prevalent in the Eastern United States and frequently appears in Ontario.

Interior Health (IH) said Xylazine can have severe side effects for humans, including long blackouts, coma and death. Naloxone won’t work to reverse a ‘Tranq’ overdose but will still be effective at reversing opioid overdoses, and IH advises people still administer Naloxone in the event of an overdose.

Xylazine use is often associated with abscesses and other skin ulcerations that do not heal on their own, often becoming infected and complicated. The health authority notes the lesions do not come from injection sites and can be found anywhere on the body.