A study published last week by the JAMA Network Open journal revealed that use of methamphetamine and synthetic opioid fentanyl are soaring across the US.
Researchers from Millennium Health in San Diego analysed more than one million urine drug tests for the paper, finding that the two deadly drugs are often being used together in potentially lethal ways.
The test results, which were provided for the most part from clinics dealing with primary care, pain management or substance abuse disorders, revealed that the number urine samples testing positive for methamphetamine rose from about 1.4% in 2013 to around 8.4% last year.
For fentanyl, positive test results more than quadrupled over the same period, rising from just over 1% of samples in 2013 to nearer 5% last year.
Perhaps most worryingly, the research showed that the number tests that showed users had been abusing both substances rocketed almost 14-fold over the study period.
The results suggest methamphetamine-related overdose deaths may continue to increase, the researchers behind the paper said.
Bob Twillman, primary author of the study, commented: “While it is encouraging that drug overdose deaths are projected to decrease for the first time since 1990, we cannot get too comfortable in thinking that our nation’s substance abuse crisis is going away.
“The accelerating rate with which [urine drug test] results are positive for methamphetamine is concerning for several reasons including the severe acute and long-term health consequences for the user, and that there is no specific antidote, nor any FDA-approved medications indicated for the treatment of methamphetamine use disorder.”
The researchers said the results of the study could help policymakers reverse the alarming nationwide increase in the use of methamphetamine and rise in stimulant-related overdose deaths.
“Our ability to provide real-time [urine drug test] data regarding positivity for illicit and prescription drug use provides an important and valuable resource for clinicians, patients, and public health officials,” commented Angela Huskey, Chief Clinical Officer at Millennium Health.
Earlier this month, it was reported that researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine had discovered that US opioid addicts who also use methamphetamine may find quitting far more difficult.
In December, the New York Times reported that provisional data from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention had revealed that the number of overdose deaths linked to methamphetamine last year reached about 13,000, more than two times as many as were recorded in 2015.
While that figure is far below the number of overall opioid deaths, data shows that methamphetamine-related overdose deaths are rising, while opioid-linked fatalities have flattened out.
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