Drug abuse with inhalated xylazine

Given the difficulty of obtaining traditionally illicit drugs, consumption is turning towards less restricted products. We report the case of an 18-year-old man, who after inhaling xylazine (a non-narcotic sedative used in veterinary medicine for analgesia, hypnosis and muscle relaxation) presented with an episode of chills and dizziness followed by sweating, gait instability, palpitations and two episodes of syncope with bradycardia and hypotension. Ten cases of toxicity caused by xylazine consumption by oral and parenteral administration (intramuscular, subcutaneous, and intravenous) have been documented in humans. In these cases, consumption was either involuntary or for suicidal or homicidal purposes, or used as an agent of drug abuse, occasionally resulting in death. We present the second documented case of toxic effects of drug abuse with inhalated xylazine. (C) 2003 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.