The Whatcom County Health Department announced the first Xylazine-related overdose death on Friday, April 5.
The unidentified Whatcom County adult resident had multiple drugs in their system, according to a toxicology report, including Xylazine, fentanyl and methamphetamines.
Xylazine, a common animal tranquilizer used by veterinarians and farriers for horses and cattle, can be mixed into fentanyl and can come in either a pill or powdered form. In humans, it can cause serious skin wounds across the body and reduces brain activity, breathing, heart rate and blood pressure.
But because Xylazine isn’t an opioid, naloxone spray cannot work to reverse an overdose. Naloxone should still be given if an overdose is suspected since it will reverse fentanyl’s effects.
The drug was identified as an emerging threat in the United States by the Biden Administration in July 2023.
In Whatcom County, the first warning about the drug was issued in March 2023. The Medical Examiner’s Office beginning to test all suspected overdose deaths for Xylazine since the summer of 2022.
If you think someone is experiencing an overdose, the health department suggests giving naloxone if you have access to it, calling 911 and providing rescue breaths if the person isn’t breathing or is taking irregular breaths.
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
