Powerful animal sedative likely cause of overdose spike in Chicago

A potent carnal tranquilizer is apt down an summation successful cause overdoses successful Chicago this month, wellness officials warned connected Monday. 

The overdoses happened betwixt May 11 and May 14, and cause samples from those cases tested affirmative for elevated levels of medetomidine. This almighty veterinary tranquilizer is not approved for quality use. 

Chicago wellness officials said medetomidine has not antecedently been detected successful Chicago.

Animal sedatives combined with different drugs

The drugs tested successful Chicago besides contained different opioid and non-opioid sedatives, including fentanyl, heroin, xylazine, alprazolam, and netizens, officials said.

Medetomidine tin origin respiratory depression, which tin worsen erstwhile taken with different sedatives. 

Because medetomidine is not an opioid, Naloxone volition not reverse the effects. Health experts said naloxone should inactive beryllium utilized due to the fact that fentanyl usually combines with different substances.

The cause archetypal appeared successful the illegal  U.S. cause proviso successful Philadelphia successful April and successful Pittsburgh earlier this month, according to the Center for Forensic Science, Research & Education. The cause surfaced successful Toronto successful December 2023.

Symptoms of overdose

People who overdosed experienced symptoms specified arsenic debased bosom complaint and debased humor pressure, successful summation to symptoms of opioid overdose similar debased breathing and tiny pupils," the metropolis said successful a wellness bulletin posted connected Monday.

In March 2023,  the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration issued a warning nationwide for xylazine, different carnal sedative found successful the caller samples. Like medetomidine, xylazine is not approved for humans and has nary known antidote. 

The CBS 2 Investigators learned it's been showing up successful autopsies successful Cook County for years.

 CBS 2 reviewed Cook County Medical Examiner's Office information that showed xylazine-related deaths rising. 

In 2022, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office recorded 158 opioid-related deaths, wherever xylazine was listed arsenic the superior origin of death. That's up from 110 cases successful 2021 and 30 cases successful 2020.

For users who survive, it tin besides origin quality tegument to rot.