A recent study found that the most commonly used synthetic opioid fentanyl is involved in most fatal drug overdoses (OD) among young individuals.
According to research published in the journal Pediatrics, mortality rates among 15- to 24-year-olds increased by 168% between 2018 and 2022.
Senior researcher and associate director of the Center for Opioid Epidemiology and Policy at NYU Langone in New York City in Noa Krawczyk stated:
“Before we looked at the data, we thought we would find that the majority of fatal youth overdoses involved fentanyl combined with other substances, such as prescription opioids or cocaine.”
Is Fentanyl detrimental to health?
Researchers further said that Fentanyl taken alone caused more deaths.
For the study, researchers assessed federal death records to analyse drug overdose (OD) among young individuals.
They particularly assessed drugs that are taken in combination with other drugs such as benzodiazepine, cocaine, heroin, and prescription opioids.
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Fentanyl is said to be 100 times more potent than morphine, posing a great overdose risk in minute amounts.
The study found that fatal overdoses from fentanyl alone soared among teens, increasing from 1.6 to 4.3 deaths per 100,000 between 2018 and 2022.
Synthetic opioids comprised 95% of opioid-related deaths in 2022, with overall youth drug overdose deaths surpassing 15 per 100,000.
By 2022, Fentanyl’s overdose rate exceeded among Black, Hispanic, and Native people as compared to whites.
The chances of mortality rate in young males were 2.5 times more from the Fentanyl dose as compared to females. Researchers further highlighted the significance of youth-specific prevention strategies to fight off increasing fentanyl-related deaths.
