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The danger from a little-known sedative that’s frequently combined with opioids exploded from 2018 to 2021 as deaths linked to the drug rose by 34 times. (Griffin, 6/30)

The Biden administration recently declared fentanyl laced with xylazine – an animal sedative commonly known as “tranq” – to be an emerging threat facing the United States, and a new analysis of toxicology reports illustrates its sharp rise. In June 2022, xylazine was present in nearly 11% of fentanyl overdose deaths, almost a four-fold increase from January 2019, when the combination was present in about 3% of cases, according to the report. (McPhillips and Kounang, 6/29)

To help with her recovery, Jade Dass had been taking Suboxone, a medication that binds to the receptors in the brain that crave opioids, preventing withdrawal without creating a high. She was concerned that it might affect the developing fetus, but a health care provider, she says, assured her that she should continue taking it. The advice seemed counterintuitive; pregnant women are routinely urged to abstain from alcohol, tobacco, even ibuprofen. So Dass did her own research. Everyone from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the same thing. Pregnant women with opioid addiction should be encouraged to take doctor-prescribed synthetic opioids such as buprenorphine, the main component of Suboxone, or methadone, which has been used to treat heroin and other addictions for almost six decades. Weaning off these medications could trigger withdrawal and contractions that could result in a miscarriage, premature birth or cause a person to relapse. (Walter, 6/29)

According to the state health department, organizations gave out about 30,000 kits in Alaska last year. Anyone who gets a kit takes a short training. They learn how to use the nasal spray and that they must call 9-1-1 afterwards for medical attention. But harm reduction specialist Venus Woods said, in practice, people aren’t calling 9-1-1. “I think the majority of our syringe access clients do not utilize emergency rooms,” said Woods.  (Cassandra, 6/29)

Australia’s drug regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, surprised just about everybody — including the country’s health institutions — when it ruled that from July, MDMA would be rescheduled from a prohibited to a controlled substance. It will also allow psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, to be used in therapy for treatment-resistant depression. In doing so, the regulator has turned Australia into a countrywide experiment for other jurisdictions, including the United States, to observe. (Vinall, 6/29)