A recently published article led by Dr. Joseph D'Orazio discussed xylazine pharmacology, animal and human clinical effects, and what is known to date about care of patients experiencing acute overdose, xylazine-fentanyl withdrawal, and xylazine-associated wounds.

Based off of this article, NDEWS Deputy Director Dr. Joseph Palamar and NDEWS Co-Investigator Dr. Bruce Goldberger published a commentary piece in Annals of Internal Medicine on the surveillance of xylazine use and poisonings. The commentary recommends a combination of self-report and biospecimen testing to characterize use and to identify unintentional exposure to the drug. They also recommend use of drug checking data, drug seizure data, and meeting regularly with people who use drugs to provide more detail regarding its use and its complications. Read the article here.

This week's NDEWS Hotspot Alerts report includes 31 counties with higher-than-expected drug-related 911 dispatch counts over the previous 7-day period. Read more here. Click here to read more about NDEWS Hotspot Alerts.

Earlier this week, NPS Discovery published Q3 2023 NPS Trend Reports for NPS benzodiazepines, NPS opioids, NPS stimulants and hallucinogens, and synthetic cannabinoids. The top reported substances in each category include bromazolam, metonitazene, N,N-dimethylpentylone, and MDMB-4en-PINACA. Read the reports here.

A study recently published in JAMA Psychiatry aimed to develop an individual-level prediction tool to predict the risk of return to opioid use during the first three weeks of treatment. The authors note that interventions to prevent a return to regular use should focus on this critical early treatment period. Read the study here.

Date: Thursday, October 26, 2023

Time: 1:00 PM ET

Register here.

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