Written by Steve B | Updated on Jun 7, 2024
Mexican drug cartels and gangs in the U.S. are putting a new deadly twist on street drugs like fentanyl and other opioids.
They are mixing in medetomidine, a powerful sedative typically used as an animal tranquilizer by veterinarians. This dangerous combination has led to a surge in overdoses and hospitalizations in recent weeks.
Medetomidine slows the heart rate to extremely low and life-threatening levels when mixed with opioids like fentanyl.
Users have no way to detect its presence.
Some alarming details from an article via NPR:
– In Philadelphia, there were 160 hospitalizations over a 3-4 day period in late April/early May from suspected medetomidine overdoses.
– Medetomidine doesn’t respond to naloxone, the standard treatment for opioid overdoses.
– The sedative was rarely seen on streets in 2022 but is now spreading rapidly, with mass overdose events also reported in Chicago and Toronto.
For families, some major effects to worry about include:
– Severe slowing of heart rate, potentially to 20 beats per minute (normal is 60-100), risking heart failure
– No way for users to know if drugs are laced, increasing overdose risk
– Potential long-term health impacts still unknown from combination of fentanyl, xylazine, and medetomidine
A few quotes from an article, Gangs mix another potent sedative into U.S. street drugs causing ‘mass overdoses’ , via NPR:
“They’re playing Russian roulette now with the drug supply.” – Dr. Bertha Madras on users risking overdose from laced drugs
“Patients are being cared for as we speak in emergency rooms. These are very complex drug products. You’ve got fentanyl adulterated with xylazine that now also contains medetomidine.” – Alex Krotulski of NPS Discovery, on the toxic mix hitting streets
Dr. Bertha Madras of Harvard Medical School warns: “They’re playing Russian roulette now with the drug supply.”
We are glad to see people are talking this new complication with the street drug supply, and it’s another reason for people to be aware of possible unexpected complications, and more urgently consider detox treatments to taper off illicit drugs and avoid the tainted drug supply chains.
With cartels constantly experimenting with new chemical mixtures, the U.S. drug supply keeps getting deadlier. This latest development with medetomidine is a sobering reminder of the urgency of the opioid crisis.
Steve B
Steve is a tech lead for digital publishing, security, and tech performance enhancement.
https://treatmentcenteragency.com/about-us/
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