Non-Prescription Fentanyl Abuse Up During Pandemic

Abuse of non-prescription fentanyl was up during the first 2 months of the pandemic shutdown over earlier in the year and 2019, according to an analysis of Quest Diagnostics data. As presented at the virtual PAINWeek conference, the study showed that non-prescription fentanyl abuse increased by 35% across a time spanning March 15 to May 16, 2020 (P<0.01). Among males, the …

Fentanyl — cheap, easy-to-make and deadly

Its odorless, colorless, tasteless, cheap and easy to make. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, contributed to 523 deaths across Maryland in the first three months of this year. Dosed in several forms — both prescription and illicit — fentanyl has become widely used in medicine to treat pain. It also is …

New Fentanyl awareness effort to be launched by Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference

The deadly opioid is nearly 100 times more powerful than Morphine. MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference (TNDAGC) announced today the launch of its newest awareness effort: “Fentanyl: The Deadliest High,” which is aimed at educating Tennesseans across the state about the extreme dangers of fentanyl, the most prevalent synthetic opioid in the United States. Monday’s announcement is step …

Smart. Curious. 14. Dead. Fentanyl’s reign of terror widens during pandemic

One pill can kill. An Overdose Awareness walk will be held Sunday in Alex Neville’s memory. From the boy’s obituary: “Alexander Hastings Neville, 14 years old, died on 23 June 2020 due to an overdose of fentanyl — a drug he mistook for something else.” Alex was a smart, sensitive, curious kid, prone to a philosophical and distinctively teenage anxiety. He …

Woman loses loved ones to overdoses as epidemic remains amid COVID-19

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Ebony Farris thought losing a loved one was tough enough. Then she lost four more within the next two weeks. She had to say goodbye to a total of five loved ones and friends just this month because of an opioid overdose. The crisis not only remained despite COVID-19, but it also grew tremendously. “I can’t …

How COVID-19 Is Driving Risks in the Illicit Benzodiazepines Market

The life conditions imposed by the pandemic are leading many Americans to seek mental health treatment for the first time. As a result, prescribing of many psychiatric medications has risen by double digits in 2020. According to research conducted by Express Scripts and cited by Harvard Medical School, prescriptions for medications to treat depression, anxiety or insomnia increased by 21 percent between February …

U.S. Sees Deadly Drug Overdose Spike During Pandemic

New data from around the U.S. confirms that drug overdoses are spiking during the coronavirus pandemic, rising by roughly 18%. Reports collected in real time by the Washington, D.C.-based group ODMAP — the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program, located at the University of Baltimore — also found a significant spike in the number of fatal overdoses. “Overdose clusters have shifted …

Drug overdoses were increasing before Covid-19. The pandemic made things worse.

America’s Covid-19 epidemic is likely making its drug overdose epidemic even worse. While there’s no good national data for the year yet, local and state jurisdictions have reported increases in overdose deaths. According to the American Medical Association, as of July 20, more than 35 states have reported increases in drug-related deaths and other concerns with drug use and mental illness. Some municipalities …