Methamphetamine Overdose Escalates the Risks and Deaths in the U.S.

Deaths associated with Methamphetamine-overdose are nearly tripled between 2015 to 2019, as per a study “Trends in methamphetamine use, use disorder, and related overdose deaths among adults in the United States”, at the National Institute On Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, published in JAMA Psychiatry. It is estimated that more than 93,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2020 – the largest one-year increase in overdose deaths ever recorded as per provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This contributes to questions on trends of methamphetamine use that would contribute to a greater risk for overdose deaths.

Burden of Methamphetamine Overdose

“We are in the midst of an overdose crisis in the United States, and this tragic trajectory goes far beyond an opioid epidemic. In addition to heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine are becoming more dangerous due to contamination with highly potent fentanyl, and increases in higher risk use patterns such as multiple substance use and regular use,” says NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow, M.D., one of the authors of the study.

To address the huge health setback, the study analyzed data on overdose deaths involving psychostimulants other than cocaine from the cause of death files in the National Vital Statistics System from 2015 to 2019. Other parameters were also tested – methamphetamine use patterns, age group at highest risk, overdose deaths in the United States.

Study Findings

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The following were the findings of the study:

• The number of overdose deaths involving psychostimulant drugs other than cocaine, (largely methamphetamine), rose to 180% from 5,526 to 15,489 between 2015 to 2019.


• There was a 66% rise in the frequent methamphetamine use (100 days or more per year) between 2015 and 2019, and 60% rise in the use of methamphetamine and cocaine together.


• Historically, methamphetamine has been most commonly used by middle-aged white persons. However, the present analysis found that American Indians/Alaska Natives had the highest prevalence of methamphetamine use, as well as methamphetamine use disorder and methamphetamine injection.


• In addition, there was a more risky and diversified patterns of methamphetamine use observed across the U.S. population of age group 18-64 years.


• However, there was only a 43% increase (not a sharp rise) in the number of people who reported using methamphetamine during the specified timeline.


• The diverse and riskier use patterns that may contribute to the rise in overdose deaths involved increases in methamphetamine use disorder, frequent use, injected methamphetamine, and use of other drugs at the same time.


• The use of Methamphetamine has also been linked to HIV transmission (through sharing injection equipment and heightened unprotected sexual activity). The study found a higher prevalence among homosexual men.


• The prevalence of methamphetamine use disorder among those who did not inject the drug increased 10-fold among Black people, more than double among homosexual, or bisexual & heterosexual men, tripled among heterosexual women and lesbian or bisexual women, and more than doubled among men and quadrupled in young adults of age group 18 to 23 years.

Risk of Methamphetamine Use


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As young adulthood is a critical period of continued brain, social, and academic maturation, methamphetamine use disorder during this vulnerable period could have long-lasting consequences.

Moreover, the study also emphasizes that the public health approaches are required to be tailored for better addressing of the methamphetamine use across different groups of people especially among the American Indian and Alaska Native communities (as they have the highest risk for methamphetamine misuse and are underrated).

“What makes these data even more devastating is that currently, there are no approved medications to treat methamphetamine use disorder. NIDA is working to develop new treatment approaches, including safe and effective medications urgently needed to slow the increase in methamphetamine use, overdoses, and related deaths,” says Emily Einstein, Ph.D., chief of NIDA’s Science Policy Branch and a co-author of the study.

Source-Medindia