Health Officials Warn of Increase in “Zombie Drug” Overdoses

ATLANTA — The Georgia Department of Health is warning about an increase in overdose deaths involving an animal tranquilizer that can cause skin to rot.

Officials said xylazine, a non-opioid tranquilizer used by veterinarians, has been increasingly found in illegal drugs circulating in Georgia. An overdose on the drug can mimic that of an opioid overdose but since it’s not an opioid, drugs like Narcan can not reverse xylazine overdoses. (Excerpt from WSBTV.com.)