APTOS — Two men have died after taking a street version of the anxiety drug Xanax in recent weeks, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Sheriff’s Lt. Kelly Kent warned residents not to take prescription medicine that is not prescribed by a doctor.

At a party in Watsonville Oct. 24, a 19-year-old man and another man ingested what they thought was Xanax, Kent said. They both “experienced a medical emergency” and were taken to Watsonville Community Hospital.

The 19-year-old was put on life support and died in the hospital Friday, Kent said. The other man survived.

Family of the 19-year-old told investigators that they believed he had taken Xanax or something similar to Xanax, said sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Clark.

Oct. 27, a 29-year-old Aptos man also consumed what he thought was Xanax and was found dead in his home the next day, Clark said. A friend of the man also mentioned Xanax. Investigators found a similar looking pill in his home.

During an investigation, authorities found that a street version of the drug alprazolam has been linked to the deaths. Genuine alprazolam is a benzodiazepine used to treat anxiety and panic disorders. It is found in brand name drugs such as Xanax and Niravam, Kent said.

Toxicology tests are not yet complete in the men’s deaths.

Yet deputies noted that there have been three deaths in San Francisco recently related to the street version of Xanax possibly laced with fentanyl, a potent opioid medication.

“We don’t want any more of these happening,” Clark said Tuesday. “We want to get information out there to better protect the public.” —— (c)2015 the Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.) Visit the Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.) at www.santacruzsentinel.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. AMX-2015-11-04T04:23:00-05:00