Potent animal tranquilizer causing overdoses across US

(NewsNation) — Officials are sounding the alarm over a new so-called “zombie drug,” 100 times more potent than xylazine, causing overdose deaths in nine states across the country.

Medetomidine, a synthetic drug used as an animal tranquilizer, is the latest street drug to appear alongside fentanyl. It reportedly causes “heightened sedation” and “profound bradycardia,” or slowed heart rate, according to researchers.

Medetomidine has consistently been found in street drug “products” alongside fentanyl, heroin and xylazine — another tranquilizer commonly found in street drugs — following a recent outbreak of overdoses in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Chicago, according to the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE).

The dangerous drug can give users a more powerful high, but high doses can cause the heart to slow and fail, leading to sudden cardiac arrest. Furthermore, experts warn that the overdose-reversal drug naloxone, popularly known as Narcan, may not be effective in reversing an overdose from medetomidine.

“Right now, we don’t have a drug to reverse an alpha agonist, which is the type of drug these sedatives are. You’d want to provide rescue breathing. The most important thing is that you call 911,” addiction medicine specialist Dr. James Besante told NewsNation.

Besante says while Narcan may not reverse an overdose from medetomidine because it is not an opioid, it should still be administered to someone having an overdose.

The drug is worsening the scene in places like the Kensington neighborhood in Philadelphia, which is home to one of the biggest open-air drug markets in the U.S.

Medetomidine was first reported in Maryland at the end of 2022 and has now been reported in at least nine states across the U.S. and Canada.

While many are calling it the new “zombie drug” as it is a more potent version of xylazine, Besante urges people not to dehumanize drug users.

“These are individuals with lives with families. Many of the clients I treat on a daily basis are incredible people. This drug does not make them ‘zombies.’ They’re humans experiencing a chronic disease, and this drug might impact their ability to communicate effectively when they’re intoxicated,” Besante said.

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