What you need to know
- Medetomidine is a non-opioid sedative used in veterinary surgery, and it’s increasingly common in the U.S. illicit drug supply
- It’s often unknowingly mixed with other drugs, including fentanyl, which increases the risk of overdose.
- Naloxone (often sold as Narcan) should be administered any time any overdose is suspected. While medetomidine alone doesn’t respond to naloxone, many substances also contain opioids.
Medetomidine is a non-opioid sedative used in veterinary surgery. It causes dangerous effects like slowed heart rate and decreased brain activity.
Medetomidine is not approved for human use, but it’s increasingly common in the U.S. illicit drug supply. Sometimes it’s mixed with drugs like cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl, which increases the risk of overdose.
In May 2024, Philadelphia found medetomidine in 29 percent of fentanyl samples analyzed. By November 2024, 87 percent of fentanyl samples analyzed contained medetomidine.
Read on to learn about the effects of medetomidine and how to prevent overdoses on medetomidine and other drugs.
What happens when someone consumes medetomidine?
Medetomidine can cause prolonged sedation, dangerously low blood pressure and heart rate, and hallucinations. Its effects last longer than other sedatives like xylazine, another veterinary sedative that’s sometimes found with fentanyl.
People who consume medetomidine may experience severe withdrawal symptoms when they stop, including dangerously high blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, tremors, and excessive sweating. Most hospital patients experiencing medetomidine withdrawal are admitted to the intensive care unit because symptoms can be life-threatening.
Why does medetomidine increase the risk of overdose?
Like opioids, medetomidine is a central nervous system depressant that slows down the body’s heart rate and breathing. When combined with opioids, medetomidine can enhance their effects and may cause breathing to stop.
Is naloxone effective against medetomidine?
Naloxone, often sold as the brand name Narcan, is a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. While it isn’t effective against sedatives like medetomidine, naloxone should still be administered any time an overdose is suspected because opioids may be involved.
“There is a chance that it might oppose the action of the fentanyl, or the opioid that was mixed with medetomidine, and it can help give that patient a chance to live,” said Dr. Mohamed Hagahmed, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and an attending emergency physician at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, in an August WTAE article.
What should I do if I suspect an overdose?
If you think someone may have overdosed on any drug, call 911 and administer naloxone. Check for breathing, perform CPR if trained in it or if instructed by a 911 operator, and stay with the person until emergency services arrive. Most states have Good Samaritan laws that protect people who have overdosed and those assisting them from certain legal penalties.
If overdose symptoms do not resolve, give additional doses of naloxone every two to three minutes until the person begins to breathe normally or help arrives. Naloxone won’t hurt someone who isn’t overdosing or didn’t consume opioids.
Naloxone may be available for free through local harm reduction programs. You can also buy naloxone without a prescription at pharmacies, at some grocery and convenience stores, and online.
Learn how to use it from the American Medical Association, or sign up for a free online training. Community programs may also offer in-person trainings.
How can people prevent medetomidine-related overdoses?
Test strips for medetomidine and xylazine, which can help people determine if their drugs contain these sedatives, may be available for free through harm reduction programs in some cities, and they can also be purchased online.
However, drug test strips are not legal everywhere, so check your state’s drug checking equipment laws before purchasing them.
Learn more about harm reduction from the National Harm Reduction Coalition.
If you’re seeking information about substance use disorder treatment or prevention, contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.