Opioids such as fentanyl and heroin are often considered to be some of the most dangerous drugs on the street. In more recent times, drug dealers have begun to lace opioids with tranq, a non-opioid drug that poses many health risks for its users. Tranq dope or tranq is a popular street name for Xylazine. Xylazine is commonly used as a tranquilizer to sedate or treat pain in horses, cattle, and other animals. It is also an analog of clonidine, a medication that reduces blood pressure. The drug is so powerful, it’s been banned for human use. Unfortunately, this doesn’t stop people from experimenting with it to get their fix. As a provider of alcohol and drug intervention services Hackensack NJ,  North Jersey Recovery Center seeks to educate our patients on the dangers of these street drugs that have the potential to claim or drastically derail the lives of many. 

The Prominence Of Tranq On The Streets

Drug dealers in Puerto Rico have been lacing opioids for several decades now. In the past few years, this practice has slowly been adopted by American dealers, especially in the Philadelphia area. Between 2010 and 2015, tranq was involved in under 2 percent of Philadelphia’s fatal opioid overdoses. By 2019, that number had reached 31%. In addition to this, the drug has appeared in all 200 samples of street opioids tested by Philadelphia health officials, as of September 2020. The drug is now rapidly spreading to other areas of the country, this includes Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, and North Carolina. 

Why Are Drug Dealers Lacing Opioids With Tranq?

Some people claim that tranq will amplify the effects of opioids. Because of this, dealers may be adding it to opioids to give buyers a stronger high and as a way to secure repeat business. Since the drug is not federally scheduled, many dealers will not have trouble getting it.

Side Effects Of Tranq Dope

Many of the purported side effects of tranq include the following:

• Nausea and vomiting

• Blurry vision

• Drowsiness

• Smaller pupils

• Higher blood sugar

• Impaired coordination
• Slow, ineffective breathing

• Slower heart rate

• Low blood pressure

• Susceptibility to fall into a coma.

The drug is also known to cause severe wounds, addiction, and possibility to overdose

Amputations And Wounds

If there was ever a bigger reason to not use a harmful street drug, this is arguably the most prevalent. Regular users of tranq have reported dealing with severe wounds or, in some cases, amputation. You might assume that the wounds occur on parts of the body where a person has injected. While it’s easy to assume this, this is not always the case. In fact, the wounds can appear anywhere. Since tranq slows down the blood flow, it takes the wounds a longer time to heal. The reduced blood flow can also increase a person’s chance of developing illnesses like sepsis and endocarditis (heart inflammation). 

Despite the fact that tranq-related wounds can cause an onslaught of severe pain, a majority of individuals will not seek treatment in fear of being judged by their doctors. In addition to this, the wounds will require advanced forms of care that many medical professionals can’t deliver on. It’s gotten so severe that Philadelphia has considered hiring a wound care specialist and field care nurse to treat tranq-related wounds. Because this area is underdeveloped, lots of people assume that injecting more tranq at the wound site will pacify many of their symptoms. Some may even try to lance or drain their wounds. All of these behaviors can cause your wounds to worsen. 

The Risk Of Overdosing

Hopefully, most people would come to the realization that they will need alcohol and drug intervention services Hackensack NJ, by this point. Sadly, a good many will fall deeper into the abyss, increasing the likelihood of overdosing. Tranq can cause overdoses by slowing down the user’s breathing. Since it is not an opioid, it will not respond well to intervention treatments like Naloxone (Narcan), which is a life-saving medication that can quickly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. So if you overdose on an opioid that has been spiked with Tranq, Naloxone may not work as effectively. If you overdose on Tranq alone, Naloxone will have no effect at all.

Signs and symptoms of an overdose include slurred speech, blurry vision, dizziness, confusion, drowsiness, slow breath and heart rate, a drop in blood pressure, or a loss of consciousness. If you or someone you know has dealt with an overdose, seek medical help immediately and look into our range of alcohol and drug intervention services Hackensack NJ.

Dependency & Addiction

Contrary to what many would assume, being exposed to Tranq is accidental. It usually occurs when someone takes fentanyl, heroin, or other opioids. Once an addiction has developed, addicts will exclusively seek out Tranq, hence why the drug has cultivated its own market in Philadelphia. In a variety of cases, Tranq addiction is harder to curtail than other types of opioid addictions. Why is this? Simply put, since Tranq entered the drug market so recently, there are no medications designed to ease the withdrawal symptoms. The symptoms for Tranq can parallel with other symptoms, but they usually include the following:

• Insomnia

• Anxiety

• Sweating

• Shaking

• Increased heart rate

We completely understand that these symptoms can be excruciating, but they are not usually life-threatening if a person curbs the use of the substance. If you have successfully withdrawn from using Tranq, you can continue to reduce the risk of relapse with therapy, support groups, and other alcohol and drug intervention services Hackensack NJ.

Professional Alcohol And Drug Intervention Services Hackensack NJ

Addiction is a terrible disease, and it’s not always easy to overcome these struggles on your own. The longer you remain addicted to potent substances like Tranq, the harder it will be to get back to a life of normality. But, fear not! There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. The team of professionals at North Jersey Recovery Center has amassed many years of experience in helping patients overcome their addictions and achieve eternal bliss. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, contact us today to get started with alcohol and drug intervention services Hackensack NJ.