Drug overdose deaths caused by the use of methamphetamine in the US have increased sharply over the past decade, according to a new government report released on Wednesday. Since 2011, the report found, the annual death toll from methamphetamine overdose has risen in all U.S. demographic groups and is particularly high among Native American and Alaska natives. The findings highlight that opioids are not the only drug that has caused a record high mortality rate in recent years.
The report was the work of scientists from the National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA) and is based on death data collected by the federal government.
Opioids such as fentanyl and heroin account for the majority of overdose deaths annually, and deaths have increased almost every year since 2010. In 2019, there were just over 70,000 overdose deaths. report, with fentanyl thought to be involved in more than half of these deaths (often multiple drugs will be involved in a single death). But public health scientists and experts have noticed a similar increase in deaths from stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamine. About 16,000 deaths in 2019 allegedly involved psychostimulants with abuse potential, a category that excludes cocaine and mostly represents deaths due to methamphetamine.
According to the new report, published in JAMA Psychiatry, the overall mortality rate of methamphetamine in America jumped fivefold between 2011 and 2018.
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In 2011, about 1.3 out of every 100,000 Americans died from meth; by 2018, it had increased to 7.3 out of every 100,000 Americans. This increase was particularly pronounced in Native American and Alaska natives, who were increasingly prone to dying of meth before the recent rise. In 2011, 4.5 out of every 100,000 people in this group died from meth; in 2018, it increased to 20.9 per 100,000. Meanwhile, fatal deaths are also on the rise with groups who apparently rarely used the drug before, especially black Americans. Only 0.4 deaths per 100,000 were seen in the group in 2011, but by 2018 the rate had increased tenfold to 4 deaths per 100,000 – this is the largest increase seen in all racial groups. Mortality was highest among men in all racial groups, but the number of women has started to increase rapidly since 2014-2015.
“While much attention has been paid to the opioid crisis, a methamphetamine crisis is quietly but actively gaining steam – especially among Native Americans and Alaska natives, who are excessively affected by a number of health conditions,” said Nora Volkow, senior study author said. , director of NIDA, in a statement released by the agency.
A likely reason why death-related deaths have increased in recent years is because people will often use other drugs at the same time, including the very powerful opioid fentanyl. But there is evidence that especially the use of methods increasing independent of trends in opioid use. Unfortunately, the options for treating meth use disorder are very limited. There is no approved medication to help people trying to wean manage their withdrawal and urge symptoms. Last week, however, NIDA led research evidence found that a combination drug therapy can offer a modest benefit for the treatment of these symptoms for medical users specifically, combined with standard counseling.
Experts said and early data suggest that 2020 would have been an even worse year for fatal drug overdoses, which presumably also includes an increase in deaths associated with methods. While there is hope that greater access to treatment and support services can turn the tide and reduce overdose deaths, it is likely that many more people will continue to die from meth and other drugs in the coming years.