Xylazine Test Strips

A harm reduction intervention to help reduce overdoses.

What Is Xylazine?

Xylazine is a veterinary tranquilizer increasingly being added to illicit opioids including fentanyl and heroin. Xylazine causes strong drowsiness, amnesia, slowed breathing and heart rate, and low blood pressure. When found alongside opioids, the combined sedation increases the risk of an adverse medical incident or overdose. Repeat exposure to xylazine is also associated with skin problems like ulcers, abscesses, necrosis, and other complications.

Deaths Involving Xylazine (2018 - 2021)

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, death certificate literal text from the National Vital Statistics System as of May 24, 2023.

About The WHPM Xylazine Test Strips

The WHPM xylazine test strips were developed specifically for harm reduction use. With a detection cutoff of 1000 ng/ml, they are capable of detecting even small amounts of xylazine in illicit opioid samples. They are also highly selective to xylazine and do not cross react with known opioid cutting agents.

Sample Preparation

Opioid samples should be crushed and mixed thoroughly before testing to distribute and xylazine that may be inside the sample. This applies to both pills and powders. Next, dilute a portion of the sample to 2 mg/ml.

Following the protocols for sample preparation above are the best practices for using the WHPM Xylazine Test Strip. Instructions from other suppliers offering non-specific dilution protocols (i.e., “put a little bit of powder into a small amount of water") risk false positives and false negatives.

Quick Reference Chart

The following User Instructions were specifically developed to optimize the performance of the WHPM Xylazine Strips to ensure accurate detection while limiting the possibility of cross-reactivity. Click the image for a hi-res PDF.

Performance Characteristic

The WHPM Xylazine Test Strip have been evaluated for performance when testing certain substances. Please see the links below for more information.

XTS Performance Characteristics

Xylazine Test Strip Performance Comparison

Xylazine White Paper Report

Xylazine Test Strip Forensic Insert

Warnings & Disclaimers

  1. The test does not distinguish between drugs of abuse and certain medications.

  2. A positive test result may be obtained from certain foods or food supplements.

  3. The test device is NOT intended to determine the purity, composition or safety of a substance.

  4. A positive or negative test result is NOT an indication that the substance being examined is safe to use. Many factors come into play when interpreting the result, including but not limited to potential mixtures of substances, solubility, and the pH of the sample.

  5. The test shall not encourage the use, supply, or production of illegal drugs or controlled substances in any way. The test is intended for harm reduction purposes. Follow the advice of your local harm reduction or public health agency.

  6. The test is NOT to be used to test cocaine, methamphetamine, ketamine or any other non-opioid substances.

  7. There is a possibility that technical or procedural errors as well as other substances and factors may interfere with the test strip (Liquid/Powder) and cause false results.

  8. A positive result indicates the presence of xylazine only and does not indicate quantity.

  9. A negative result does not at any time rule out the presence of xylazine, as they may be present below the minimum detection level of the test.