Three young individuals from the Chicago area faced severe health consequences, including hospitalization and one falling into a coma, after consuming counterfeit Xanax pills containing bromazolam, as reported by the CDC.
The incident, which occurred in the previous year, has been detailed in a recent publication in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On February 1, 2023, two 25-year-old males and a 20-year-old female were discovered unconscious in the south suburbs of Chicago.
The CDC states that they had ingested pressed tablets containing bromazolam, mistakenly believing it to be alprazolam—a drug utilized for anxiety and panic disorders and often misused recreationally for its euphoric effects.
Eight hours after consuming the pills, one of the men’s mothers found the trio unresponsive, according to the CDC.
Despite the administration of naloxone, there was no improvement. Upon reaching local hospitals, they remained unresponsive.
After suffering seizures, developing fevers, and each experiencing a myocardial injury related to the heart, the three victims were provided with breathing tubes. The woman involved also slipped into a coma.
Urine samples confirmed the presence of benzodiazepines in all three victims.
They were subsequently admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, and the Illinois Poison Center was notified.
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Absence of Fentanyl Detected in Victims’ Blood Containing Bromazolam
Examination of the victims’ blood revealed the presence of bromazolam, with no detection of fentanyl or any other opioid.
CDC research emphasized that bromazolam is typically associated with fentanyl or counterfeit benzodiazepine, as observed since its initial identification in Sweden in 2016.
Bromazolam is classified as a benzodiazepine derivative and is considered a “designer” drug, having been synthesized in 1976 but never sanctioned for therapeutic use.
The consumption of bromazolam poses life-threatening risks, even in the absence of fentanyl or other opioids.
As reported by the Illinois Department of Public Health, fatalities involving bromazolam surged from 10 in 2021 to 51 in 2022.
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