LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is issuing a critical alert to Michigan residents regarding the emergence of medetomidine, a lethal substance detected in recent overdose fatalities.

The Swift Toxicology of Opioid Related Mortalities (STORM) project at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine provided this alarming data which prompted the MDHHS to warn about the severity of the situation.

What is medetomidine?

MORE NEWS: Former Township Supervisor Reaches Plea Deal in Sexting Case

Medetomidine, a veterinary tranquilizer akin to xylazine, has surfaced in postmortem toxicology reports, linking it to three tragic overdose deaths in Ingham, Berrien, and Wayne counties since March. It is a synthetic drug used in veterinary medicine for sedation, anesthesia, for diagnostic imaging (to immobilize animals) and as an analgesia to provide pain relief.

What does the drug do to people?

This potent tranquilizer induces perilous effects on people, including reduced heart rate, plummeting blood pressure, and suppressed brain and spinal cord functions. Additionally, medetomidine, unlike xylazine, defies reversal by standard medications like naloxone or Narcan, further exacerbating the peril it poses.

Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, MDHHS’s chief medical executive, expresses deep concern about the drug in a press release, stating, “Medetomidine is considered more potent than xylazine and we want to make sure Michigan residents are aware of this new and dangerous drug showing up in overdose deaths in our state.”

The emerging threat.

The Center for Forensic Science Research and Education also put out a press release in May warning about the use of the drug proliferating across the country, naming it as the latest CNS depressant to appear as an adulterant alongside fentanyl in the recreational drug supply. A CNS depressant, short for Central Nervous System depressant, is a type of drug that slows down brain activity.

They point to the drug being associated with mass overdose outbreaks in Philadelphia, Chicago and elsewhere. NBC News also reports about the drug being linked to a rise in overdoses in Illinois and Pennsylvania. Bagdasarian spoke to them about the issue as well, saying, “It’s really concerning, the types of contaminants that we are seeing. Drugs are becoming deadlier.”