The number of fentanyl and methamphetamine overdose deaths in the United States has increased more than 50 times since 2010, a new study finds.
Published in a peer-reviewed journal Dependence On Thursday, researchers announced that the drug combination caused 34,429 deaths (32.3%) in 2021, compared to 235 (0.6%) in 2010.
“We are now seeing the combination of fentanyl and methamphetamine rapidly becoming a dominant force in the U.S. overdose crisis,” lead author Joseph Friedman said in the paper. news release. “Fentanyl has created a multi-substance overdose crisis, which means people are mixing fentanyl with other drugs such as meth, as well as countless other synthetic substances.”
Friedman noted that this shift, which the authors described as the “fourth wave” of the country’s opioid crisis, poses both risks and challenges for health care providers.
“While we have the data and medical expertise to treat opioid use disorder, we have relatively little experience with combining opioids with stimulants or mixing opioids with other drugs,” he said. Ta. “This makes it difficult to medically stabilize people who are abstaining from polysubstance use.”
Fentanyl is synthetic opioidsIt is similar to morphine but more powerful and can be abused or discovered alone. Contains other drugs.
Earlier this year, fentanyl-laced pills made headlines: Cause of death of Leandro De Niro Rodriguezgrandson of actor Robert De Niro.
Health officials, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have warned that its prevalence, and role, has increased in recent years. Number of overdose deaths nationwide.
Overdose deaths from fentanyl and xylazine combination are surging in some states, CDC reportsXylazine and fentanyl mixture found in nearly every state, DEA warns
In the latest study, researchers found that the most commonly used drugs, along with fentanyl, have changed over the years and are region-dependent. For example, in 2010, it was most commonly found along with prescription opioids, benzodiazepines, and alcohol.
“The Northeast transitioned to co-involvement of heroin and fentanyl in the mid-2010s, and by 2021, nearly all regions had moved to co-involvement of cocaine and fentanyl,” the authors write. “Across the West and in the majority of states in the South and Midwest, co-involvement of methamphetamine and fentanyl became predominant by 2021.”
However, the researchers noted that meth involvement in fentanyl-related overdose deaths increased from 2015 to 2021 in virtually every state.
The study also found that this fourth wave has disproportionately affected ethnic and racial minorities, including Blacks, African Americans, and Native Americans.
-Emily Mae Czachor contributed to this report.
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