Meth use up sixfold, fentanyl use quadrupled in U.S. in last 6 years

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On top of soaring rates of use of meth and fentanyl individually, researchers say their analysis revealed the drugs are being used together in potentially lethal ways. Photo by OverHook/Pixabay

Jan. 3 -- A study of over 1 million urine drug tests from across the United States shows soaring rates of use of methamphetamines and fentanyl, often used together in potentially lethal ways.

The drug test results came primarily from clinics dealing with primary care, pain management or substance abuse disorders.

The results showed that between 2013 and 2019, urine samples testing positive for methamphetamine -- "meth" -- have skyrocketed sixfold, from about 1.4 percent of samples testing positive in 2013 to about 8.4 percent in 2019.

Similarly, the percentage of drug urine tests coming back positive for the highly potent -- and sometimes fatal -- opioid fentanyl have more than quadrupled since 2013, the study found. In 2013, just over 1 percent of the urine samples tested positive for fentanyl, but by 2019 that number was nearing 5 percent, said a team led by Dr. Eric Dawson, of Millennium Health in San Diego.

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And, too often, fentanyl is being taken in combination with meth or other illicit drugs.

Between 2013 and 2019, the rate at which urine samples testing positive for fentanyl also tested positive for meth rose almost 14-fold, Dawson's group found, and by more than sixfold for cocaine and heroin.

All of this suggests that "methamphetamine-related overdose deaths [especially] may continue to increase," according to the study published online Jan. 3 in JAMA Network Open.

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One doctor on the front lines of the epidemic of drug abuse and overdose said the statistics are cause for alarm.

"We are talking about serious and deadly risks -- patients who may stop breathing and suffer heart attacks, strokes or develop bleeding in the brain," said Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

Even when meth doesn't kill, it can easily ruin lives, he noted.

"Methamphetamine abuse can result in anxiety, insomnia, addiction, mood disturbances, psychosis and violent behavior," Glatter explained. The drug "may also trigger psychotic symptoms including hallucinations, paranoia and delusions. In some cases, psychotic symptoms can persist for months or even years after people have stopped using," he said.

Right now, data from the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse shows that "methamphetamine abuse is most prevalent in the western and midwestern regions of the U.S.," according to Glatter. "Nearly 70 percent of local law enforcement agencies from those areas of the U.S. indicate that methamphetamine is the drug that poses the greatest danger to its citizens."

Add fentanyl to the mix, and risks run even higher.

"Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, and consequently may lead to respiratory depression and death," Glatter said, and often "rescue" medications like naloxone won't help.

"Standard doses of naloxone to reverse the respiratory effects of fentanyl are typically ineffective," Glatter said, so "[only] intubation and mechanical ventilation may be lifesaving in the setting of fentanyl overdose."

The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse has more about methamphetamine.

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iushciuweiush on January 4th, 2020 at 18:08 UTC »

Good thing I have to log my ID to get cold meds. Government regulation didn't stop meth use, it transferred production to Mexico where thousands of people die on a regular basis by the hands of drug cartels.

LynxJesus on January 4th, 2020 at 17:28 UTC »

Remember when people started taking Heroin + Cocaine together and we thought was a reckless combo that could lead to nothing but death? Well now they're taking just more intense versions of each :(

spare0h on January 4th, 2020 at 15:12 UTC »

Many comments here seem to come from people who don't care about other people. Even still, addiction costs society a disturbing amount of money. If you pay taxes you might be interested in the problem getting solved.

"Costs of Substance Abuse Abuse of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs is costly to our Nation, exacting more than $740 billion annually in costs related to crime, lost work productivity and health care."

Source: NIH National Institute of Drug Abuse https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics

Editing to say: Letting addicts kill themselves is not a feasible option, reddit. Many addicts know how to manage their addictions to some extent. Then they relapse but their experience helps them to avoid overdosing and dying. This is a relapsing disease, not always a death sentence.