MILWAUKEE — The use of the animal tranquilizer xylazine, which is being mixed with fentanyl to create a drug known as “tranq-dope,” is on the rise in Milwaukee.
According to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, 138 overdose deaths in 2023 were linked to xylazine.
So far in 2024, there have been 21 confirmed fatal overdose deaths in Milwaukee County — and six of them have been linked to xylazine.
Some health organizations are now working to address it.
Part of Kale Schmidt’s job as a prevention specialist at Vivent Health is to meet with people that struggle with substance use disorder and provide them with what they need at that time.
Schmidt said she equips people with syringes, alcohol wipes and pipe covers. Vivent Health has also started carrying xylazine test kits.
“Xylazine, definitely seeing an increase in that, more people talking about it, more people testing their substances and it is coming up positive,” said Schmidt.
Schmidt said overall, the organization has been seeing the uptick in opioids.
“Pretty much fentanyl is what you are getting right now. You can’t really get heroin right now,” said Schmidt. “It is going to be straight fentanyl or a combination of things.”
Schmidt said even pressed pills you are expecting to be a different substance can end up being fentanyl. In some cases, it’s xylazine.
“We are seeing folks with wounds characteristic of xylazine as well,” said Schmidt.
Xylazine causes skin irritations all over the body. The irritations look like blisters, small purple bruises, holes in the skin or even large open sores.
In March, Gov. Tony Evers signed a bill legalizing xylazine test strips.
Kristen Grimes is the director of prevention services for Vivent Health. She said even prior to the bill being signed, Vivent Health was offering xylazine test kits to people suffering from addiction.
She said legalizing the strips is a positive step in making them more readily available for the entire community.
“We do offer the testing strips. We try to keep people as healthy as we can, make sure their veins are healthy, make sure their bodies are healthy so when they are ready for treatment they are in a good space,” said Grimes.
In 2023, Vivent Health had more than 25,000 encounters with people who inject drugs.
Grimes said the organization was also able to save 1,330 lives by distributing Narcan.
She said no community across the state is immune to the opioid epidemic.
“We see people who live in all parts of Wisconsin, in all 72 counties. We see people who are unhoused, and we see people who make a six-figure salary,” said Grimes.