Published: 08/6/2026 | Author: Courtney Myers

Two state alerts and local overdose deaths point the same direction in Northeast Ohio. Even though The Buckeye State features a wide range of programs to deal with substance misuse, including local Narcotics Anonymous chapters on the local level, a new wave of substances like xylazine threaten to increase the human toll. 

This time, there’s a catch. The substances driving opioid overdose deaths are increasingly not the ones people think they are buying.

Matthew Vanyo, director of the Westshore Enforcement Bureau Drug Task Force, reported that 18 overdose deaths in Cuyahoga County have been directly linked to xylazine, often mixed with other drugs, from 2025 through the present.

“If you are buying illegal drugs on the street, just know you never know what’s going to be in that drug,” Vanyo relayed. “You have no clue.”

The Ohio Alerts

The Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center recently issued two public safety alerts.

The first covers orphine analogs, a group of potent synthetic opioids. Like other opioids, they suppress breathing, and their potency raises the risk of a fatal overdose.

The second covers xylazine and medetomidine, two veterinary sedatives that now turn up mixed into the illicit drug supply. Neither has approval for human use.

Vanyo described how people receive combinations of contaminated drugs they never chose.

“The user thinks they’re only getting drug A, but they’re getting xylazine and medetomidine and fentanyl, and that’s aiding or the cause of a fatal overdose,” Vanyo pointed out.

The Substances Involved

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid many times deadlier than morphine. It’s now common in the illicit supply across drug classes, including in counterfeit pills.

Xylazine and medetomidine are sedatives, not opioids. They slow heart rate and breathing through a different mechanism, which is what makes them dangerous alongside opioids like fentanyl. Two depressants acting at once compound the effect on breathing.

Xylazine also causes wounds that worsen quickly without care.

“The one unfortunate byproduct of xylazine abuse is open wounds that, if not taken care of, will eat down the skin,” Vanyo pointed out.

Anyone who develops a wound after using drugs should have it seen by a clinician early. These wounds respond to treatment, and delaying care turns them serious.

Naloxone Still Matters in an Opioid Overdose

Officials noted that naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, may not fully reverse an overdose involving these combinations, because naloxone works only on opioids. Many local Ohio neighborhoods have made Narcan readily available.

Authorities recommend giving naloxone faster and calling 911. Naloxone reverses the opioid portion of the overdose, which usually stops someone’s breathing. When a non-opioid sedative is also involved, additional doses or emergency medical care may be needed, and the person might stay sedated after the opioid effect is reversed.

Basically, give naloxone, call 911, stay with the person, and stand ready to give another dose. Someone who’s breathing again but still unresponsive still needs medical attention.

Enforcement’s Limits

Vanyo directly stated that arrests alone won’t lower the death count. Rather, connecting people to care remains essential to the task force’s job.

“For those who want to go into recovery,” Vanyo reaffirmed, “we help them get onto that pathway of care for themselves.”

The task force plans to host Operation Bridge on August 26 from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Lakewood Women’s Pavilion on Lake Avenue in Lakewood, Ohio. Nearly 40 organizations will be on hand with resources, including treatment providers, recovery services and the Homeless Coalition.

Vanyo concluded that the reach of the problem extends past the people using drugs. “It affects communities abroad, the county and the entire state.”

NA: Help for Opioid Addiction

Treatment for opioid addiction includes medications such as buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone, which reduce cravings and withdrawal and help reduce overdose death rates. These work alongside counseling and peer support rather than in competition with it.

Speaking of peer support, Narcotics Anonymous meetings are among the most effective steps to take to get help. Meetings offer free peer support and run throughout every neighborhood in Ohio and the rest of the country, including evening and virtual options. 

Feel free to use our online directory to find NA meetings by city and meeting type. You can also call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to speak with an expert and discuss treatment options.