Oct. 7, 2024 – Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. declined substantially in the past year, posting the largest single-year drop in at least a decade.
About 101,000 people died of drug overdose in the past year, compared to just over 112,000 people during the previous year. The counts, which are still preliminary, equal a 10% decline.
The steep change still isn’t enough to bring the annual toll down to pre-pandemic levels, when the nation typically experienced less than 75,000 drug overdose deaths annually. But the new data mark a reversal from year after year of large increases.
“This is exciting,” Nora Volkow, MD, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told NPR. “This looks real. This looks very, very real.”
The newly published numbers from the CDC are for April 2023 to April 2024. The report authors cautioned that they are preliminary and the actual count may be higher once some pending death investigations are completed.
Drug overdose deaths are largely due to the use of opioids, whose ranks include heroin, pain relievers like oxycodone, and potent synthetics like fentanyl. During an overdose, the brain cannot properly regulate breathing.
The past year's decline in overdose deaths could partly be due to the rising availability of the drug naloxone, which can help restore a person’s breathing and halt the effects of opioids. An over-the-counter version of the drug was approved earlier this year, although that approval happened around the end of this past overdose reporting period, so its impact on overdose deaths would likely be seen in the data for next year.
But a national effort to increase awareness still may have played a role, such as the U.S. surgeon general’s campaign “Be prepared. Get Naloxone. Save a life.” The campaign seeks to help people understand whether a close friend or family member may be at opioid overdose risk, and if so, to have naloxone available and be trained on how to give it.
Other national efforts to reduce overdose deaths have included law enforcement efforts to thwart trafficking and expanded efforts to help people get treatment. Last month, a federally funded study pointed toward more effective treatment for people who used potent fentanyl by optimizing the dosage of a commonly used addiction medicine called buprenorphine. The study showed that adults with opioid use disorder who received higher doses may have a reduced risk of going to the emergency room or being hospitalized, compared to adults who received the standard dose.
The signs of opioid overdose include pinpoint pupils, slowed breathing, and loss of consciousness. If someone close to you is at risk of opioid overdose, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about getting naloxone.
If you or someone you know is struggling with drug use, treatment and help are available by calling the national helpline 800-662-HELP (4357) or at FindTreatment.gov.
