A veterinary sedative is showing up in the illicit fentanyl supply across the United States, and the CDC has issued an urgent warning: naloxone, the medication that reverses opioid overdoses, does not work against it.
The drug is called medetomidine — also known on the street as "rhino tranq," "mede," or "dex." When it is mixed with fentanyl, it can cause profound sedation, dangerously low blood pressure, and a slow heart rate that persist even after naloxone has been administered. For anyone carrying naloxone to respond to a potential overdose — or administering it to a family member — understanding this limitation is now a matter of life and death.
