‘Designer Xanax’ behind rising overdose deaths: CDC report

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is raising concerns over so-called “designer Xanax” that has been tied to a rising number of deaths and hospitalizations.

The drug, an unapproved benzodiazepine (“benzos”) sedative called bromazolam, has led to hyperthermia, seizures, myocardial injury, comas and multi-day intensive care stays, according to CDC data.

Bromazolam — also known by street names like “fake Xanax” and “dope” — is one of at least a dozen unapproved “designer” benzodiazepines, a class of drugs used to treat anxiety, that has been created in the lab to be more potent than approved drugs.

The CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) detailed three case studies of “previously healthy young adults” — two 25-year-old men and one 20-year-old woman — who took bromazolam thinking it was alprazolam (Xanax).

In February 2023, the three 20-somethings were found unresponsive after taking the disguised drug and couldn’t be revived with alprazolam, an opioid reversal agent. They were still unresponsive upon arrival at the emergency unit.

All three experienced multiple generalized seizures and her intubated while in the ICU to help maintain their breathing. They also had fevers and showed signs of heart damage.

Both males recovered and were discharged after four days and 11 days of hospital care, but the woman went into a coma after developing a form of epilepsy. She was transferred to a second hospital after 11 days, though it’s unclear what her status is since the transfer.

Seizures involving bromazolam have risen from just a handful in 2018 to more than 2,900 by 2023, according to researchers led by Dr. Paul Ehlers, a toxicologist at Cook County Hospital in Chicago.

“In Illinois, bromazolam-involved deaths increased from 10 in 2021 to 51 in 2022,” the report said.

Bromazolam has also been found in drivers who have been arrested for a DUI due to its sedative effect.

“It is essential that physicians, medical examiners, toxicology laboratories, public health officials, and emergency responders be aware of the increased presence of bromazolam both in polydrug ingestions and in substance use disorder patients who report the use of benzodiazepine,” the report warned.