Xylazine
IMPORTANT: ONLY FOR USE WITH OPIOIDS!
NON-OPIOIDS
At this time, we do not recommend using xylazine test strips with non-opioids as there is not yet sufficient data on how these tests perform with non-opioid substances. As of 2025, xylazine test strips are still relatively new and more research is needed to determine their reliability with substances other than opioids.
Download Full Instructions
Note on Spanish Version
Due to resource and staffing limitations, we have not had the opportunity to translate these instructions into Spanish.
Nota sobre la versión en español
Porque tenemos recursos y personajes limitados, no ha tenemos la oportunidad de traducir las instrucciones a español.
When using test strips for drug checking (as opposed to urine testing), sample preparation is important. Any drug can produce a false positive if over-concentrated, and if you don’t concentrate enough (over-diluting by adding too much water) you run a greater risk of false negatives.
Open the tab and follow the instructions below for each type of drug.
1. Add one level micro scoop (10 mg) into one teaspoon (5 ml) of water.
According to current laboratory studies, the optimum dilution for using our xylazine test strips to test powdered illicit opioids is two milligrams per milliliter (2 mg/mL). This is the equivalent of 10 mg of powder into one teaspoon (5 mL) of water, or one level micro scoop into a normal plastic bottle cap.
2. Stir the mixture until completely dissolved.
PROCEED TO STEP 2.
A level scoop of finely crushed powder (not rounded) is approximately ten milligrams (available here).
You can use a micro scoop and a bottle cap to test a portion of your drugs. A standard plastic bottle cap holds approximately one teaspoon (5 ml) of water when almost full.
This method is for oxys and other pressed opioid tablets.
1. Crush the entire or part of the pill.
2. Pour the powder into a small cup or container.
3. Add water according to the table below.
4. Stir the mixture. The pill binder (holds the pill together) may not completely dissolve. That’s ok.
tbsp = tablespoon
PROCEED TO STEP 2.
If you are injecting your drugs, you should try to test every time you inject.
Method 1:
You can test your shot after preparing your solution and before pulling it up into the syringe.
Method 2:
You can also test residue from the cooker, spoon, or other container.
- After preparing your shot, set the syringe aside and wait to inject.
- Add about 1 ml (⅕ tsp or 1 cc) of clean water into the cooker, spoon, or other container.
PROCEED TO STEP 2.
After you have mixed your drugs in water using the instructions above, it’s time to use the strip.
1. Hold the brown end of the test strip and insert the other end into the liquid.
2. Allow the liquid to travel up the strip into the test area for a full 15 seconds.
3. Remove the strip and set it down on a flat surface. Wait about 3 minutes.
Make sure you have waited 3 minutes before reading the result.
POSITIVE:
One red line closer to the brown end of the strip is POSITIVE for xylazine.
NEGATIVE:
Two red lines is NEGATIVE. The second line may be very faint.
INVALID:
No red lines or one red line closer to the dotted end means the test did not work and the result is INVALID. This may happen because the liquid did not travel far enough up the strip or the strip did not work properly.
IMPORTANT! Always wait the full three minutes before reading the result. Sometimes a very faint red line will initially appear in the lower area, then quickly fade away. Do NOT confuse this with a negative result.
Except for suicides, overdose deaths are always accidental. The word “overdose” has sometimes carried a moral judgment that the individual was “pushing their limits” in order to get as high as possible, as if it were their own fault.
This is not true. “Overdose” simply means taking too much of a drug, and it is always accidental. Even daily opioid users don’t always know what is in their product and have no way of knowing the amount.
Instead of blaming others, let’s work together to end overdose deaths.
DISCLAIMERS:
A negative result does not guarantee that your drug sample is free from risk. Please use harm reduction practices to reduce your risk of xylazine-related wounds and other health complications.
Our Commitment
DanceSafe is committed to staying up-to-date on current drug checking and drug supply trends and adapting our tools and resources to keep up with changes in the supply.
DanceSafe xylazine test strips were created for drug checking and harm reduction purposes. We are committed to continuously developing and improving drug checking tools to meet the needs of our communities and respond to ongoing changes in the unregulated drug supply.
Our test strips are available on our website for both retail and wholesale purchases. (Wholesale customers need to register first.)
Test strips work by attaching a marker (antibody) to a part of the molecule to be detected. This allows test strips to be specific to our compound of interest (xylazine). Most test strips were designed to be used for urine, which makes them very sensitive and will pick it up even if it is present at extremely low amounts.
There are many brands of test strips on the market today. Only recently have new test strips been developed for drug checking. We have partnered and collaborated with labs, researchers, harm reductionists, and test strip manufacturers to develop minimum performance and assessment standards for creating test strips for drug checking to ensure that people who use them will have accurate, reliable, powerful tools. We hope that by working together, we can refine currently available tools and develop new ones in response to changes in the drug supply.
Just as with any test strip or other tools, our test strips have limitations.
False positives and negatives.
A false positive is when the test strip is positive, but the compound is not actually present, and a false negative is the opposite. This can happen from manufacturing variations between batches or because the antibody used attaches to parts of a molecule that are shared by different compounds. False positives and false negatives are possible with any tool, including test strips. We are acutely aware of the impact of these complications and are constantly evaluating our tools to make sure they are accurate and relevant.
To reduce the likelihood of getting a false positive or negative, we highly recommend following our instructions carefully.
What to do if you suspect the test strip result is false?
Test it again!
You can use another test strip in the same solution you made. If possible, you can have it tested using more advanced laboratory technology. You can do this by submitting it to a publicly available service (see here), testing it at an event where we have an FTIR, or see if your local harm reduction program offers drug checking.
DanceSafe is proud to have our test strips manufactured by the US-based company WHPM, utilizing a novel antibody with high specificity to xylazine.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we are committed to offering the lowest possible prices to the harm reduction community. Nonprofits and social service agencies can purchase them right now for bulk pricing.
Note: Institutions wanting to receive wholesale pricing need to register first.
