Mixing Alcohol and Xylazine (tranq)
Dangerous
Both slow breathing and the heart, and naloxone reverses neither.
Do not combine. If someone won't wake: rescue breaths, on their side, call for help, and naloxone for any fentanyl.
What to do
- Say what was taken and how much.Responders need it, and in most US states Good Samaritan laws protect both of you from drug possession charges when you call for an overdose.
- Unresponsive: put them on their side, tilt the head back, and stay until help arrives.Never leave someone alone to “sleep it off”.
- Never Use Alone 1-800-484-3731Stays on the line and sends help if you stop responding.
- Full steps: what to do if it is already happeningOverdose signs, the recovery position, what to say on the call, and whether you can be charged for making it.
- Poison Control 1-800-222-1222Free and 24/7, for “is this bad?” before it becomes an emergency.
What “Dangerous” means
High risk of death or life-changing injury. Do not combine.
How the ratings workThe longer explanation
Both slow breathing and the heart and drop blood pressure, through different receptors, so neither's limits protect you from the other, and naloxone reverses neither. Alcohol was found in about one in five overdose deaths involving xylazine, nearly all of which also involved fentanyl. If someone will not wake: rescue breaths, recovery position, call for help, and give naloxone for the fentanyl that usually comes with it.
Sources (3)
- What You Should Know About Xylazine. CDCcdc.gov
- Ruiz-Colón K et al. Xylazine intoxication in humans and its importance as an emerging adulterant in abused drugs: a comprehensive review of the literature. Forensic Sci Int. 2014sciencedirect.com
- Friedman J et al. Xylazine spreads across the US: a growing component of the increasingly synthetic and polysubstance overdose crisis. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2022pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
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Related combinations
- KetamineDangerous
- MXEDangerous
- DXMDangerous
- BenzodiazepinesDangerous
- ZolpidemDangerous
- GHB / GBLDangerous
- KetamineDangerous
- MXEDangerous
- BenzodiazepinesDangerous
- ZolpidemDangerous
- GHB / GBLDangerous
- PregabalinDangerous
Can you mix Alcohol and Xylazine (tranq)?
MixSafe rates mixing Alcohol and Xylazine as "Dangerous" — high risk of death or life-changing injury. Do not combine. Source: MixSafe research. Educational information, not medical advice.