Drug overdose deaths caused by methamphetamine use in the U.S. have risen sharply over the past decade, according to a new government report released Wednesday. Since 2011, according to the report, annual death rates from methamphetamine overdose have risen in all demographic groups in America and are especially high among American Indians and Alaska Natives. The findings highlight that opioids are not the only drug that has seen a record increase in overdose deaths in recent years.
The report was the work of scientists from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and is based on mortality data collected by the federal government.
Opioids such as fentanyl and heroin continue to account for the majority of annual overdose deaths, and deaths increase almost every year since 2010. In 2019, there were just over 70,000 overdose deaths. reported, with fentanyl believed to be involved in more than half of these deaths (there will often be several drugs involved in a single death). But scientists and public health experts have noticed a corresponding increase in deaths from stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamine. It was reported that around 16,000 deaths in 2019 involved psychostimulants with abuse potential, a category that excludes cocaine and largely accounts for methamphetamine deaths.
According to the new report, published at JAMA Psychiatry, the overall methamphetamine death rate in America multiplied by five between 2011 and 2018.
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In 2011, approximately 1.3 of every 100,000 Americans died from methamphetamine; in 2018, it rose to 7.3 per 100,000 Americans. This increase was especially evident in the American Indians and Alaska Natives, who were already more likely to die of methamphetamine before the recent increase. In 2011, 4.5 out of every 100,000 people in this group died of methamphetamine; in 2018, it increased to 20.9 per 100,000. Meanwhile, methamphetamine-related deaths are also on the rise among groups that appeared to have rarely used the drug before, especially black Americans. Only 0.4 deaths per 100,000 were observed in this group in 2011, but the rate multiplied by ten to 4 deaths per 100,000 in 2018, accounting for the largest increase of all racial groups. Deaths were highest among men of all racial groups, but rates among women began to rise rapidly from 2014-2015.
“While much attention is focused on the opioid crisis, the methamphetamine crisis has been gaining calm, but actively, especially among American Indians and Alaska Natives, who are disproportionately affected by several health conditions, ”said study author Nora Volkow. , director of NIDA, a statement released by the agency.
One of the probable reasons why stimulant-related deaths have increased in recent years is that people often consume other medications at the same time, including the very potent opioid fentanyl. But there is evidence that methamphetamine use in particular is increasing regardless of trends in opioid use. Unfortunately, the options for treating methamphetamine use disorder are extremely limited. There are no drugs approved to help people trying to wean methamphetamine to manage their withdrawal and cravings symptoms. Last week, however, research led by NIDA we find evidence that a combined pharmacological therapy may provide a modest advantage to the specific treatment of these symptoms for methamphetamine users, combined with standard counseling.
Experts they said and the first data suggests that 2020 will have been an even worse year for deadly drug overdoses, which will likely also include an increase in methamphetamine-related deaths. While there is hope that greater access to treatment and support services may begin to change the tide and reduce overdose deaths, it is likely that many more people will continue to die from methamphetamine and other medications in the coming years.