Unless you’re buying cannabis flower and magic mushrooms, you simply don’t know what is in your drugs.
Every dealer will tell you that they only sell ‘the good stuff’—uncut and pure—because why wouldn’t they? Who brings along a chemical testing kit or mass spectrometer when buying the weekend’s gear? Who’s going to argue with the plug when they have cash in hand and the promise of a good time? What if you’re so desperate to get high that you just don’t care?
While some additives do little more than cut potency and increase dealer margins, for example, powdered sugar or caffeine in cocaine, in many cases, drugs are cut with other substances to boost their effects and longevity, often with serious consequences. When xylazine or Tranq, a potent veterinary sedative, is added to heroin, fentanyl, or other opioids to stretch each dose just a little bit more, the consequences are, without exaggeration, horrifying.
All forms of substance abuse negatively affect one’s quality of life and must be seen in a serious light; however, when a zombie drug with a reputation for making both heroin and fentanyl even more harmful is popping up in news reports around the UK, it is time to pay attention.
In this post, we’ll break down everything the experts at Infinity Addiction Solutions want you to know about how it spreads, who it affects, the dangers most people don’t see coming, and treatment options that exist for those at risk.
Tranq Quick Facts:
What it is: Xylazine is a veterinary sedative not approved for human use. It is increasingly being found in street opioids.
Class of drug: Xylazine is an alpha-2 receptor agonist. It is not an opioid or prescription medicine.
Effects: Heavy sedation, low blood pressure, slowed breathing, reduced sensitivity to pain, and non-healing soft tissue ulcers and necrosis.
Why it’s used: Tranq is added to fentanyl, nitazine, and other synthetic opioids to extend the duration of the high.
Dangers: Overdose, sedation to the point of respiratory failure, and open, necrotic wounds that do not heal. Combined with the standing fentanyl flop posture, these wounds have led to Tranq or xylazine-adulterated drugs gaining notoriety as ‘zombie drugs’.
Tracing Tranq to Hopelessness
Xylazine has been found in cocaine, cannabis vapes, and counterfeit Valium; however, it is overwhelmingly used to adulterate fentanyl, heroin, and other opioids—a class of drugs known to disproportionately affect communities lower on the socio-economic ladder, the homeless, and people with untreated mental health conditions or long-term unemployment. Opioids and synthetic opioids are available on the street for much cheaper than cocaine or prescription drugs, and offer a long-lasting euphoric high that eclipses other drugs in value for individuals desperate to escape their reality and withdrawal, even at the cost of their health.
Despite the severe and visible physical effects of xylazine being well-documented by now, xylazine continues to appear in the opioid supply because it extends the high. Whether dealers are making the choice to add Tranq or simply passing along product from higher up the chain, for someone in opioid withdrawal with limited options, the trade-offs may feel irrelevant or may not be known.
Tranq and other street opioids exploit society’s most vulnerable; those trapped by one of the most physically addictive substances, with nowhere and nobody to turn to for help.
Xylazine/Tranq in the UK: Statistics and More
While xylazine was originally developed back in 1962, it has only recently started making headlines in the UK. This novelty, along with several other factors, makes it hard to determine exactly how and to what degree it has infiltrated the UK street drug market, as well as its true cost to society.
Many overdoses include polydrug use with opioids, alcohol, and other drugs present in the system; however, death certificates may not capture all of the substances present, leading to an underrepresentation of Tranq’s role. At the time of publication (October 2025), neither the UK government nor any other reputable public health bodies have published any statistics on specifically Tranq-related deaths or impact.
As of the 15th of January 2025, the UK government has categorised xylazine as a Class C drug, with unlawful possession carrying up to a 2-year sentence, while suppliers will be looking at up to 14 years behind bars (Medical Express, 2025).
Fig. 1: Relative search volume for ‘xylazine’ and ‘Tranq’, 2010 to 2025
The Health Risks and Long-Term Effects of Tranq
It is fair to call Tranq Dope one of the most physically devastating forms of substance abuse. Unlike heroin, fentanyl, or nitazenes alone, which can have their effects reversed by naloxone or Narcan (CICAD, 2024), Tranq does not respond to overdose-reversing medications, making it harder to treat emergency cases and increasing the risk of opioid-induced respiratory failure. Tranq causes a state of heavy sedation, during which blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing drop to dangerously low levels, and increases the risk of fatal overdose even when the amount taken wouldn’t normally be lethal.
Despite these very clear dangers, the most alarming consequence of continued Tranq abuse is the damage it causes to the skin and other soft tissues. Xylazine causes blood vessels to contract, restricting blood flow and preventing wounds from healing (Papudesi, Malayala, & Regina, 2025). Even small wounds may rapidly turn into deep and disfiguring ulcers, necrotic patches, and life-altering infections that resist treatment. These wounds aren’t just limited to injection sites, but spread all over the body and may lead to amputation when left untreated (DEA, 2022).
Xylazine isn’t taken in isolation, and its other long-term effects tend to fall under the cumulative toxic effect category, i.e., the combined physical, psychological, and cognitive harm caused by prolonged substance abuse. Individuals struggling with Tranq abuse often suffer from hypotension, cognitive impairment, and a weakened immune system, making them more susceptible to infections. When factoring in homelessness, malnutrition, and poor hygiene, these effects accelerate physical decline and significantly increase the odds of morbidity.
Treating Tranq Addiction
Considering the irreversible, life-changing harm that continued Tranq/Tranq dope abuse may cause, seeking professional medical assistance to deal with both existing skin lesions and opioid addiction is critical. However, since a large proportion of those using xylazine-adulterated opioids are homeless, unemployed, or living below the poverty line, many have to rely on whatever resources are available locally, including NHS care, council-commissioned drug and alcohol services, and outreach teams or charities. It’s worth noting that in some cases, stigma and fear of withdrawal often delay treatment until wounds become severe.
What an individual can do to help themselves
Even without access to professional medical services, there are steps an individual or a loved one can take to reduce further harm and degradation:
- Treat wounds early at a walk-in centre, making sure to keep ulcers and lesions clean and covered, preferably with a sterile dressing.
- Be honest about opioid abuse when seeking medical treatment to avoid potentially dangerous drug interactions.
- Avoid injecting drugs into inflamed, damaged, or open tissue.
How professionals treat Tranq addiction
Medical professionals treating Tranq patients typically have to manage both wounds and infections that have presented, as well as withdrawal and addiction.
Wound management is heavily subject to the type and severity of the wound, which in the worst-case scenarios might require the amputation of a limb. If the individual sought treatment early, a medical professional would clean the wounds, apply a sterile dressing, prescribe a course of antibiotics if there is an infection, or refer the patient to surgery if required.
Again depending on the severity of the case, UK addiction specialists may prescribe either methadone or buprenorphine as opioid substitution treatments (OSTs) (Public Health England, 2021) to help their patients through withdrawal, followed by referrals to inpatient or outpatient treatment plans.
Private Inpatient and Outpatient Treatment for Opioid and Tranq Abuse
Infinity Addiction Solutions is a leading private rehab service provider serving the Mid- and Southern UK. We offer a broad range of personalised and flexible addiction treatment programmes designed to fit into our patients’ lives, ensuring they get the care they need while still meeting life’s responsibilities.
If you or a loved one is struggling with opioid and/or Tranq addiction, we encourage you to reach out to our addiction specialists as soon as possible. These drugs may cause serious and irreversible damage and starting treatment sooner rather than later can significantly increase the chances of a full recovery.
Works Cited
DEA. The Growing Threat of Xylazine and its Mixture with Illicit Drugs. DEA Joint Intelligence Report. Oct 2022. The Growing Threat of Xylazine and its Mixture with Illicit Drugs, Drug Enforcement Administration, https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2022-12/The%20Growing%20Threat%20of%20Xylazine%20and%20its%20Mixture%20with%20Illicit%20Drugs.pdf. Accessed 15 10 2025.
INTER-AMERICAN DRUG ABUSE CONTROL COMMISSION (CICAD). THE EMERGENCE OF NITAZENES IN THE AMERICAS. Sep 2024. OAS, CICAD, https://www.oas.org/ext/DesktopModules/MVC/OASDnnModules/Views/Item/Download.aspx?type=1&id=1045&lang=1. Accessed 15 10 2025.
Medical Express. “UK government bans ‘zombie drug’ xylazine.” Medical Express, 15 01 2025, https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-uk-zombie-drug-xylazine.html. Accessed 17 10 2025.
Papudesi, B. N., et al. “Xylazine Toxicity.” StatPearls [Internet], 2025. National Library of Medicine, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK594271/. Accessed 10 15 2025.
UK Government. “Part 1: introducing opioid substitution treatment (OST).” GOV.UK, Public Health England, 21 July 2021, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/opioid-substitution-treatment-guide-for-keyworkers/part-1-introducing-opioid-substitution-treatment-ost. Accessed 17 October 2025.
