The opioid epidemic has become an uphill battle with the rise of
fentanyl available on the streets and on the internet, but there’s an even
scarier trend occurring as million of U.S. drug users are now addicted to
several substances, not just opioids like fentanyl and heroin. This shift is
making treatment far more difficult.
According to the New York Times, those who are addicted to
drugs are now more likely to use multiple substances that combine a cocktail of
uppers and downers. The CDC calls it polysubstance use, and it’s become the
norm for 70-80% of people addicted to opioids.
Newer drugs are being mixed with opioids include the animal tranquilizer xylazine, anti-anxiety medicine like Valium, Xanax, and Klonopin, and counterfeit pills that are laced with fentanyl.
Dr. Paul Trowbridge, an addiction medicine specialist at Trinity Health Medical Group in Michigan spoke to the Times about the challenges in treating patients with polysubstance addiction, “It is unpredictable what people are buying, which makes it so dangerous for them. ‘Sloppy’ drug dealers can contaminate their supply with fentanyl, or intentionally add it to other drugs so their customers become addicted.”
While fentanyl tends to dominate
headlines, methamphetamine has also made a comeback as a more potent drug. Stimulants
are now being traced in 42% of opioid overdoses. Adding meth to the mix makes
treating opioid addiction much more difficult. According to the Times,
while a lot of money is being poured into treating opioid addiction, government
leaders must also address the newer problem of multi-drug use.
