Medetomidine, a Pet Sedative, Spreads in U.S. Illegal Drug Supply

FRIDAY, May 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A sedative used in animals is showing up more often in illegal drugs and may be making opioid overdoses harder to treat, U.S. health officials warn.

The drug, called medetomidine, is used by veterinarians to sedate pets. It”s similar to xylazine, another animal drug that has already made the U.S. opioid crisis worse, The Associated Press reported.

Now, medetomidine is being found mixed with fentanyl and other street drugs, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated.

The CDC released three reports showing how the drug is spreading in cities like Chicago, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

In Chicago last May, officials noticed a spike in overdoses. Naloxone, the usual treatment for fentanyl overdose, wasn’t working well.

After an investigation, 12 cases were confirmed to involve medetomidine, and more than 160 others were considered likely cases, including one possible death.

In Philadelphia, medetomidine was found in 72% of illegal opioid samples tested late last year, AP reported.

That was more than xylazine, which had been a growing concern in recent years.

More than 160 people in the city were hospitalized with a strange kind of withdrawal that did not respond to usual treatments. But doctors found that another medication, dexmedetomidine, worked.

Pittsburgh also saw 10 similar cases around the same time.

More information

Science Direct has more on medetomidine.

SOURCE: The Associated Press, May 1, 2025