Pittsburgh-area doctors are sounding the alarm on medetomidine, a veterinary tranquilizer that’s increasingly permeating street drugs like “flysky” in Western Pennsylvania.
And it’s not abating anytime soon. The drug continues to become more prevalent, and doctors say there are minimal clear treatment options for the severe withdrawal process.
Unlike heroin or fentanyl, medetomidine doesn’t respond to naloxone products such as the nasal spray Narcan to reverse opioid overdose, said Dr. Michael Lynch, senior medical director of UPMC Health Plan’s Quality and Substance Use Disorder Services…