Fentanyl-related overdose deaths predominantly occurred in the northeastern United States, mostly affecting younger people (20–40 years of age), and grew sharply since 20138. The CDC tracks drug overdose data with the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10), which records fentanyl overdose deaths together with those caused by other synthetic opioids. However, they note that fentanyl accounts for most synthetic opioid deaths. Drug overdose deaths may involve multiple drugs; therefore, a single death might be included in more than one ICD-10 category when describing the number of drug overdose deaths involving specific drugs.
How common are traumatic brain injuries in the US?
The easiest way to lookup drug information, identify pills, check interactions and set up your own personal medication records. This is not all the information you need to know about fentanyl and does not take the place of your healthcare provider’s advice. Discuss this information and any questions you have with your doctor or other health care provider. https://ecosoberhouse.com/ Read the Medication Guide that comes with your specific prescription fentanyl product to learn about how to safely store and dispose of your used, expired, unwanted, or unused medicine and device. If you are not sure how to dispose of your medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist. If you have been prescribed fentanyl, never give anyone else this medicine.
Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 2002–2022
People who make heroin often add nonmedical fentanyl to it to increase its potency (strength). Injecting fentanyl was the most common way that a person overdosed on the drug, accounting for 75 percent of the overdoses witnessed, according to the respondents. The remaining 25 percent of the overdoses resulted from people snorting the dug, the researchers said.
Naloxone is available in your state.
Indeed, some experts believe the opioid crisis will soon emerge as the gravest public health crisis facing the U.S. In real numbers, Texas and Washington state saw the biggest increases in drug fatalities in 2022. “One could have expected that as many of the challenges imposed by the COVID pandemic were resolved, we would see a deep dive in the number of overdose deaths. It’s concerning we have not seen that.” It has also been found mixed with other drugs, including heroin, counterfeit pills, methamphetamine (meth) and cocaine, or even replacing them entirely, according to the California Department of Justice.
The opioid crisis is likely attributable to illicitly manufactured fentanyl and its analogs around the world, especially when they are mixed with heroin and other drugs, and the route of administration41,42. Drug overdoses can be prevented and people with substance use disorders can recover. At CDC, we are working tirelessly to prevent overdose and substance-use related harms so that we can save lives and all people can achieve optimal health and well-being. Moreover, the conjugate vaccine stimulated the endogenous generation of antibodies with high affinity for a variety of fentanyl analogs140, and was shown to blunt fentanyl reinforcement142. A recent study screened and purified monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from vaccinated mice, and found that the 6A4 mAb prevented the acute lethality of fentanyl, and reversed both fentanyl and carfentanil-induced antinociception as effective as naloxone143.
Risk factors for opioid overdose
According to the report, no clinical effects of opioid exposure were observed. In December 2023, one of the country’s leading thinkers on drug addiction, Stanford University researcher Keith Humphreys, published an essay in The Atlantic arguing that progressive approaches to the fentanyl crisis have failed. Meanwhile, the network of roughly 17,000 drug rehab and treatment centers across the U.S. is often described as a “wild west” of expensive, poorly regulated how long does fentanyl stay in your system and unscientific programs. Drug Enforcement Administration, law enforcement seized “more than 360 million deadly doses” of fentanyl in 2023, but the drug remains cheap and widely available. “We do have fentanyl that’s dangerous, we have xylazine that’s poison,” Vincent told NPR. “We’ve had an entire community swept away. I can’t even think of all the people I know who have died. My daughter died. Our mentors are dead. It is so dangerous right now.”
- They may perform other forms of medical care other than naloxone, such as intubation to help with breathing.
- The medication will reverse the effects of fentanyl and block future effects.
- “We have multiple millions of people with opioid use disorder and that’s not something you can simply make go away. We are as a country in for bad times for years to come.”
- Most drug policy experts agree this vast system failed to detect or stop the rapid spread of more toxic synthetic street drugs.
Real solutions to the overdose crisis are likely to be complex, costly and time-consuming, especially if the street drug supply keeps evolving with more dangerous chemicals. Over the last decade, drug companies that fueled the first wave of the opioid crisis by aggressively marketing and distributing pain pills, agreed to pay more than $50 billion in compensation to communities battling addiction. At first public health experts linked the carnage to the Covid pandemic, when lockdowns disrupted addiction treatment programs and heightened isolation. As with any opiate, there is a risk of dependency, tolerance, misuse, and addiction with fentanyl. Physical dependence results in withdrawal symptoms when individuals suddenly stop taking the drug.
