Heroin Overdoses In the U.S. Doubled In Just Two Years

Think Progress

Heroin overdoses doubled within just two years, and painkiller addiction played a part in the sharp increase, according to a recent federal government report. The study, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), provides further confirmation about the dangers of opioid addiction, which has reached “epidemic proportions” in some parts of the country.

CDC researchers collected data from death certificates in 28 states — which represents more than half of the U.S. population — and found a dramatic increase in instances of heroin overdose. Their findings showed that the overall rate of death increased by one percentage point between 2010 and 2012.

While the rate at which people died from narcotic painkillers dropped by less than a percentage point within the same time frame, Paulozzi, also a medical epidemiologist at CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, said that 75 percent of heroin users began their journey by using narcotic painkillers, highlighting what researchers consider a conspicuous link between two commonly abused substances.

“There is a growing population of people who are using narcotics, whether the prescription variety or heroin,” Dr. Len Paulozzi, co-author of the study, told WebMD. “A fraction of these people are using heroin in addition to narcotic painkillers, depending on price and availability, or have gone over entirely to heroin.”

Heroin — an opioid drug that’s synthesized from a naturally occurring substance known as morphine — commonly appears as a white-brown powder or a sticky, black substance known as “black tar heroin.” The drug can be injected, smoked, or inhaled by snorting — all three methods that create a high risk of addiction, compelling the user to search for the drug by any means.

In 2011, 4.2 million Americans older than the age of 12 reported having used heroin at least once. According the CDC report, use among that demographic has increased by nearly 75 percent within three years. The Northeast and South regions of the U.S. saw the greatest increase between 2010 and 2012 — 211 percent and 181 percent respectively. Overdoses also increased 62 percent in the Midwest and 91 percent in the west, according to the report.

Quitting heroin usually proves to be a huge undertaking for addicts. Within 12 hours of ceasing use, a host of withdrawal symptoms — including yawning, anxiety, agitation, runny nose, sweating, and abdominal cramps — start to appear. These symptoms mirror that of painkillers, further signaling the danger both drugs pose.

The National Institute of Health recently reported that nearly half of young people surveyed in three studies reported turning to heroin after abusing painkillers because they found the former cheaper and easier to attain. Many of these users reportedly crushed opioids before sniffing them, a practice experts say prepares them to consume heroin in a similar fashion. Earlier this year, Attorney General Eric Holder called opiate and heroin addiction an “urgent and growing public health crisis” that deserved immediate attention.

“The underlying problem we have in the United States is not about prescription drug abuse or heroin abuse, it’s the epidemic of people addicted to narcotics,” Dr. Andrew Kolodny, president of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, told WebMD. “Without treatment, overdose deaths are very common among people with this disease.”

That’s why the Obama administration has called for equipping police officers with naloxone — a drug that’s commonly used in emergency rooms to reverse heroin overdoses — since they’re often the first officials to make contact with someone who’s overdosing. Unfortunately, some lawmakers — including Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) — have expressed their opposition to expanding use of the substance. Earlier this year, LePage railed against a measure that would allow first responders, police officers, and family members of opiate addicts to have access to the safe and cost-effective drug, even as heroin overdoses quadrupled in the state within a year.

Experts also agree that it’s necessary to implement effective long-term treatment that addresses the external factors — which include depression and post-traumatic stress disorder — that compel one to depend on opioids. In recent years, that practice has been found to be as effective as using oxycodone, a substance similar to heroin that’s used during clinical rehabilitation.