Fake Xanax pills hospitalize Chicago-area trio, CDC warns of 'bromazolam' risks

CHICAGO - Three young adults from the Chicago area were hospitalized with serious injuries, and one was in a coma after ingesting fake Xanax pills, according to the CDC.

The incident occurred last year, but the research was just published on Friday in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

On Feb. 1, 2023, two 25-year-old men and a 20-year-old woman were found unresponsive in Chicago's south suburbs. The CDC says they ingested pressed tablets of bromazolam that they believed were alprazolam – a drug used for anxiety and panic disorders that's often misused recreationally due to its euphoric effects.

The mother of one of the men found the trio unresponsive eight hours after they took the pills, according to the CDC. The three victims were given naloxone, but it had no impact. They were taken to local hospitals and arrived still unresponsive.

The three victims were equipped with breathing tubes after experiencing seizures, developing fevers, and each suffering a myocardial injury – which relates to the heart. The woman also entered into a coma.

A urine sample from the victims revealed all were positive for benzodiazepines. They were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, and the Illinois Poison Center was contacted.

One of the male victims was intubated for five days and discharged from the hospital on Day 11. The second male victim was discharged on Day 4. The male victims also suffered from aphasia, dysphagia, neurologic deficits, and hearing loss.

The woman who was in a coma was transferred to a second hospital on Day 11. The CDC did not provide an update on her condition after that.

Testing of the victims' blood revealed the presence of bromazolam without the presence of fentanyl or any other opioid. CDC research noted that since its first detection of bromazolam in Sweden in 2016, the drug is usually paired with fentanyl or counterfeit benzodiazepine.

Bromazolam is considered a "designer" benzodiazepine derivative and was synthesized in 1976, but never approved for therapeutic use. Consumption of bromazolam can be life-threatening even without the presence of fentanyl or other opioids.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, bromazolam-involved deaths increased from 10 in 2021 to 51 in 2022.