A powerful veterinary tranquilizer showing up in the street drug supply is putting new pressure on hospitals and treatment centers in Western Pennsylvania, according to local doctors and providers.<\/p>\n
Allegheny County health officials say the drug, medetomidine, is a non-opioid sedative similar to xylazine, also known as tranq, but 100 to 200 times more potent. <\/p>\n
At UPMC, Dr. Anthony Pizon, chief of medical toxicology, said the drug is creating added strain in emergency departments.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is definitely putting a strain on emergency departments,\u201d Pizon said.<\/p>\n
Pizon said doctors are seeing more patients overdosing or experiencing severe withdrawal from fentanyl mixed with medetomidine, and many of those cases require intensive care.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt almost always guarantees an ICU-level admission \u2014 so our ICUs are really inundated with these patients, and that makes it challenging to care for other patients who also need that level of care,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
At Pinnacle Treatment Centers, medical director Dr. Christopher Cole said many people using opioids do not realize medetomidine is now part of the drug supply.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s here. Most people who are using opioids don\u2019t even realize it\u2019s part of the drug supply now,\u201d Cole said.<\/p>\n
Cole said the drug\u2019s sedative effects can put people at serious risk.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes people extremely sleepy \u2014 they can\u2019t keep their eyes open. You try to talk to them, and they immediately fall asleep,\u201d Cole said. \u201cYou can pass out outside and develop hypothermia. You can pass out on stairs and suffer serious trauma.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cole also said the region\u2019s drug supply has changed dramatically in recent years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first started doing this, we still saw heroin. Now \u2014 it\u2019s all fentanyl. No heroin,\u201d Cole said.<\/p>\n
Doctors and treatment providers said medetomidine is stretching an already fragile system, with some patients requiring hospitalization for days, particularly during withdrawal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have people going to the hospital all the time for days because of the withdrawal,\u201d one provider said.<\/p>\n
Doctors stressed that Narcan should still be administered during a suspected overdose and 911 should be called immediately, but warned that people may not \u201cwake up\u201d quickly because the tranquilizer\u2019s effects are not reversed by naloxone, and many patients will still require ICU-level care.<\/p>\n
Download the <\/b>FREE WPXI News app<\/b><\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/b><\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on <\/b>Facebook<\/b><\/a> and <\/b>Twitter<\/b><\/a>. | <\/b>Watch WPXI NOW<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92025 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n