If the overdose antidote drug naloxone becomes easier to obtain, it could save lives and help combat the U.S. opioid crisis
Eight in 10 teen unintentional overdose deaths involved fentanyl and other synthetic opioids
Overall, deaths in Tennessee known to be linked to nitazenes rose from 10 in 2020 to 42 one year later
Highest rates and largest rate increases seen in urban counties and counties with higher unemployment rates
For 2018 compared with 2014, mean out-of-pocket cost of naloxone increased by 506 percent among uninsured patients
Rural U.S. residents who use both drugs more likely to have nonfatal overdose than those who use either drug alone
Eutylone-involved deaths frequently co-involved illicitly manufactured fentanyls, and cocaine or methamphetamine
Overdose rate in 2020 nearly seven times higher for Black versus White men aged 65 years and older
Increase in methadone-involved deaths in March 2020 not thought to be tied to expanded opioid treatment program take-home policies
Authors hope findings will 'inform a more cautious approach to decisions around opioid dose tapering'