Interior Health today (August 6) issued a drug alert for the Cranbrook area, reporting multiple overdoses have occurred.

The alert is about ‘Down’ containing high amounts of medetomidine and fentanyl.

“Medetomidine is a very strong non-opioid tranquilizer—much stronger than xylazine (200x). It slows down breathing and heart rate and can make overdoses longer and more complicated,” Interior Health noted.

“Medetomidine is potentially dangerous to the heart.

“The combination of fentanyl and medetomidine increases risk of overdose and can lead to significant sedation. Overdose symptoms may last beyond administration of naloxone.”

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