Xylazine is primarily an alpha 2 adrenergic agonist. Ketamine is primarily an NMDA antagonist. The two have very different pharmacological profiles.
Ketamine is specifically used in pediatric anesthesia because it does not cause respiratory depression. Xylazine and other a2 agonists can cause breathing to slow and hypotension.
M_G t1_j1f9c47 wrote
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Xylazine is primarily an alpha 2 adrenergic agonist. Ketamine is primarily an NMDA antagonist. The two have very different pharmacological profiles.
Ketamine is specifically used in pediatric anesthesia because it does not cause respiratory depression. Xylazine and other a2 agonists can cause breathing to slow and hypotension.