Self-reported Xylazine Experiences: A Mixed-methods Study of Reddit Subscribers.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Xylazine is an α 2 -agonist increasingly prevalent in the illicit drug supply. Our objectives were to curate information about xylazine through social media from people who use drugs (PWUDs). Specifically, we sought to answer the following: (1) What are the demographics of Reddit subscribers reporting exposure to xylazine? (2) Is xylazine a desired additive? And (3) what adverse effects of xylazine are PWUDs experiencing?

Methods

Natural language processing (NLP) was used to identify mentions of "xylazine" from posts by Reddit subscribers who also posted on drug-related subreddits. Posts were qualitatively evaluated for xylazine-related themes. A survey was developed to gather additional information about the Reddit subscribers. This survey was posted on subreddit

SUBMITTER: Spadaro A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10857795 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov-Dec 01

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature