Animal Sedative Medetomidine is Showing Up in the US Illegal Drug Supply, CDC Says

The animal sedative medetomidine is increasingly appearing in the U.S. illegal drug supply, raising serious public health concerns, according to three reports released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Similar to the Veterinary sedative xylazine, medetomidine is being mixed primarily with fentanyl, the synthetic opioid responsible for the majority of U.S. overdose deaths. First detected in 2022, medetomidine has since been linked to several overdose clusters.

In Chicago, a surge in overdoses puzzled health officials when naloxone—commonly used to reverse opioid effects—proved ineffective. Investigators later confirmed 12 medetomidine-related overdoses and over 160 suspected cases, including one possible death. Separate reports from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh focused on withdrawal symptoms in patients exposed to the drug. The growing presence of medetomidine in street drugs complicates overdose response and highlights the evolving dangers of the illicit drug market