Deaths from drug overdoses caused by methamphetamine use in the US have risen sharply over the past decade, according to a new government report released on Wednesday. Since 2011, the report found, annual rates of methamphetamine overdose deaths have increased in every demographic in America and are particularly high among American Indians and Alaska Natives. The findings point out 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 at 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, with deaths increasing almost every year since 2010. In 2019, just over 70,000 overdose deaths were reported. reported, with fentanyl considered to be involved in more than half of these deaths (often, several drugs will be involved in a single death). But scientists and public health experts have seen a corresponding increase in deaths from stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamine. Approximately 16,000 deaths in 2019 reported the involvement of psychostimulants with the potential for abuse, a category that excludes cocaine and largely accounts for deaths caused by methamphetamine.
According to the new report, published in JAMA Psychiatry, the overall methamphetamine death rate in America increased fivefold between 2011 and 2018.
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In 2011, about 1.3 of 100,000 Americans died from methamphetamine; by 2018, it had risen to 7.3 per 100,000 Americans. This increase was especially pronounced in American Indians and Alaska Natives, who were already more likely to die of methamphetamine before the recent increase. In 2011, 4.5 out of 100,000 people in this group died from methamphetamine; in 2018, it increased to 20.9 per 100,000. Meanwhile, methamphetamine-related deaths are also rising among groups that appeared to rarely use the drug before, especially black Americans. Only 0.4 deaths per 100,000 were observed in that group in 2011, but the rate increased tenfold to 4 deaths per 100,000 by 2018 – representing the highest increase in all racial groups. Deaths were highest among men in all racial groups, but rates among women began to rise rapidly from 2014-2015.
“Although the focus is on the opioid crisis, a methamphetamine crisis has quietly but actively gained momentum, especially among American Indians and Alaska Natives, who are disproportionately affected by a number of health conditions. Said the study’s lead author, Nora Volkow. , director of NIDA, in a statement issued by the agency.
One probable reason why stimulus-related deaths have increased in recent years is that people will often use other drugs at the same time, including the very strong opioid fentanyl. But there is evidence that the use of methamphetamine is especially so increasing regardless of opioid use trends. Unfortunately, the options for treating methamphetamine use disorder are extremely limited. There are no approved medications to help people trying to stiffen methanemia to manage their withdrawal symptoms and cravings. However, last week, research conducted by NIDA found evidence that drug combination therapy may provide a modest benefit in the specific treatment of these symptoms for methamphetamine users, combined with standard counseling.
expert said and early data suggests that 2020 will have been an even worse year for fatal drug overdoses, which will likely 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 decrease overdose deaths, it is likely that many more people will continue to die from methamphetamine and other drugs in the coming years.