Public health impact and harm reduction implications of xylazine-involved overdoses: a narrative review.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Xylazine, an α2-adrenoceptor agonist sedative commonly used in veterinary medicine, is not approved for human use. Nevertheless, xylazine-involved overdose rates have surged in recent years, fueled by an increasingly toxic and synthetic illicit drug supply in North America.

Methods

This narrative review assessed major epidemiological trends in xylazine-involved overdoses in North America, aiming to identify harm reduction priorities. A literature search was conducted using four bibliographic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and ScienceDirect) and three preprint servers (medRxiv, bioRxiv, and Europe PMC) on May 28, 2023, to capture articles related to combinations of keywords such as "xylazine", "opioid", and "harm reduction".

Results

Xylazine emerged as

SUBMITTER: Zhu DT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10498612 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature