Claim- Their is a Zombie Drug that causes rotting skin to users and is becoming common in the US.

Question

There have been conspiracies of Zombies being in the US. People will post people being in a zombie-like matter. Many people believe it can correspond with the new discovery of the zombie virus. However, it was thought to be a drug that gives you zombie-like side effects like rotting your skin. Many people believe that this drug is becoming common in the US. I personally don't think that this drug would be expected in the US however I don't know. Do you believe this is true?

Answer 1

The drug in question is Xylazine. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, it is a central nervous system depressant. Its side effects include drowsiness, amnesia, slow breathing, slowed heart rate, and dangerously low blood pressure levels.

https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/xylazine 

The 'rotting skin' mentioned above is actual skin ulcers, which has been linked to high use of Xylazine. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9482722/

More info on skin ulcers can be found here:

https://www.healthline.com/health/skin-ulcer#symptoms

In terms of its use in the US, from 2020 to 2021, the Drug Enforcement Administration reported on average a 93.25% increase in Xylazine use. This increase was most prevalent in the South and West regions of the US. In 2021, there were 3,089 Xylazine positive overdose deaths in the US. This is a large increase from 808 deaths in 2020. 

https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2022-12/The%20Growing%20Threat%20of%20Xylazine%20and%20its%20Mixture%20with%20Illicit%20Drugs.pdf

Overall, this drug can make people seem 'zombie like', but they certainly aren't zombies. The 'skin rotting' is just skin ulcers. And, while its use in the US is increasing, it is certainly not considered common. 

https://www.addictioncenter.com/addiction/10-most-common-addictions/

Comments

I'm noticing that many media outlets are reporting on a rise in the use of this drug and overdoses related to it. I wonder how one would define "common" like the claim has suggested -- good catch of wording.

Answer 2

According to AMN healthcare, on registerednurse.com, Flakka is frequently referred to as the "zombie drug." It's a type of synthetic bath salt that causes all types of abnormal activity. "This drug affects people in ways no other drug ever has. People who use it have gone on mad, violent, zombie-like rampages." The DEA classifies Flakka as a schedule 1 drug with no medical uses. 

According to AMN... 

"Side effects include:
•   Immediate effects of euphoria, feelings of invulnerability, extreme stimulation, and a loss of inhibitions
•   Increased heart rate or irregular heart rate, increased blood pressure, and increased potential for heart attack or stroke
•   Increased body temperature, increased perspiration, and increased potential for dehydration
•   Respiratory distress or renal failure
•   Muscle spasms, tremors, and seizures
•   Significant brain swelling may occur in some
•   Issues with insomnia and a loss of appetite
•   Increased anxiety, panic attacks, aggressive behavior, self-mutilation, and suicidality
•   Psychosis (experiencing hallucinations and or delusions) and severe delirium
     o   Delirium occurring as a result of Flakka may initially be hallucinations, hyperactivity, confusion, and disorientation; however, some people also develop a hypoactive delirium, often referred to as a “zombie-like state,” where the person is catatonic, not responsive, and may be hallucinating, delusional, or significantly confused
•   Overdose and death
•   Marked neurological damage in chronic users"
(Solutions Recovery, 2019)

It's called the zombie drug because it causes people to move erratically (jerking and contorting) along with self harm. 

https://www.rn.com/headlines-in-health/flakka-zombie-drug/

Answer 3

The drug, "Xylazine, also known as “tranq,” “tranq dope” and “zombie drug”, is the new substance in town that has deadly effects. The drug has sedative-like symptoms – extreme sleepiness, respiratory depression characterize the use of the substance leading to the videos of people unable to stand."

According to this site: 

https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2022-12/The%20Growing%20Threat%20of%20Xylazine%20and%20its%20Mixture%20with%20Illicit%20Drugs.pdf

, there has been a rise in xylazine overdoses in the U.S. However, "The detection of xylazine in drug mixtures – particularly in combination with fentanyl – is increasing across the country". So it is possible that the rise is affected by the rise in fentanyl use and not entirely having to do with the use of xylazine.

Finally, since the effects of drug are not contagious (you must actually take the drug to feel the effects) the people suffering from these effects are not comparable to zombies.

Comments

According to the claim, the only zombie-like attribute to this drug is rotting skin -- nothing more, correct? If so, wouldn't the claim be true then?

Some legitimate media outlets and organizations use "zombie" when describing the drug too, such as:

https://www.newsweek.com/xylazine-tranq-zombie-drug-explained-1783286
https://floridapoisoncontrol.org/public-health-officials-warn-zombie-drug-xylazine-is-circulating-in-central-florida/