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Fentanyl overdoses among seniors surge 9k% – A hidden crisis few saw coming

29 points by Noaidi 1y ago

Cpoll 1y ago
I hate percentages without numbers. And the fentanyl numbers apparently weren't impressive enough, so they cherry-picked a subset to get 9000 (the summary is correct, the headline is inaccurate). > 2015 and 2023, fentanyl-related deaths rose from 264 to 4,144 among older adults (a 1,470% increase) and from 8,513 to 64,694 among younger adults (a 660% increase). Within the older population, deaths involving both fentanyl and stimulants grew from 8.7% (23 of 264 fentanyl deaths) in 2015 to 49.9% (2,070 of 4,144) in 2023 -- a staggering 9,000% rise. In comparison, among younger adults, fentanyl-stimulant deaths rose from 21.3% (1,812 of 8,513) to 59.3% (38,333 of 64,694) over the same period, a 2,115% increase. And without stats for other types of ODs and for population size to compare against, it's hard to draw conclusions. Not to say that I dont't there's an opioid epidemic.
- saulpw 1y ago
  Heartily agree. And also, why is k% even a thing?! 9k% = 90x. JUST SAY 90 TIMES.
gaindustries 1y ago
Which seniors? American? European? Wealthy? Poor? Sick? Healthy?
- skylurk 1y ago
  Senior Engineers?
- slater 1y ago
  Source: American Society of Anesthesiologists It's a mystery.
- Bratmon 1y ago
  Fun fact: If you click the headline, it usually links to a full article which answers those kinds of questions.
damascus 1y ago
I wonder how much is intentional as a painless / possibly even "pleasant" way to end things on their own terms. Its cheap, incredibly effecient, and leaves a better narrative than the more common alternatives.
kristianp 1y ago
What is the danger of fentanyl combined with stimulants? Is it because illegal stimulants can often contain opioids that the user doesn't know about?
- mk_stjames 1y ago
  This isn't the greatest wikipedia article, but I'd rather not write more on a topic so close to heart.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speedball_(drug) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speedball_(drug) That'll get you started.
burnt-resistor 1y ago
Prescriptions keep getting more expensive thanks to tariffs and inflation which hurts the poorest people the most, plus increased unsafe coping habits occurring due to added misery inflicted by this heartless regime equals more OD's. Another related problem is the narrow therapeutic range of legal and illegal opioids combined with inadequate prescription duplication and overlap detection leads to less aware patients taking multiple substances and/or taking too much leading to unintentional OD.

29 points by Noaidi 1y ago

I hate percentages without numbers. And the fentanyl numbers apparently weren't impressive enough, so they cherry-picked a subset to get 9000 (the summary is correct, the headline is inaccurate). > 2015 and 2023, fentanyl-related deaths rose from 264 to 4,144 among older adults (a 1,470% increase) and from 8,513 to 64,694 among younger adults (a 660% increase). Within the older population, deaths involving both fentanyl and stimulants grew from 8.7% (23 of 264 fentanyl deaths) in 2015 to 49.9% (2,070 of 4,144) in 2023 -- a staggering 9,000% rise. In comparison, among younger adults, fentanyl-stimulant deaths rose from 21.3% (1,812 of 8,513) to 59.3% (38,333 of 64,694) over the same period, a 2,115% increase. And without stats for other types of ODs and for population size to compare against, it's hard to draw conclusions. Not to say that I dont't there's an opioid epidemic.

saulpw 1y ago
Heartily agree. And also, why is k% even a thing?! 9k% = 90x. JUST SAY 90 TIMES.

gaindustries 1y ago

Which seniors? American? European? Wealthy? Poor? Sick? Healthy?

skylurk 1y ago
Senior Engineers?
slater 1y ago
Source: American Society of Anesthesiologists It's a mystery.
Bratmon 1y ago
Fun fact: If you click the headline, it usually links to a full article which answers those kinds of questions.

damascus 1y ago

I wonder how much is intentional as a painless / possibly even "pleasant" way to end things on their own terms. Its cheap, incredibly effecient, and leaves a better narrative than the more common alternatives.

kristianp 1y ago

What is the danger of fentanyl combined with stimulants? Is it because illegal stimulants can often contain opioids that the user doesn't know about?

mk_stjames 1y ago
This isn't the greatest wikipedia article, but I'd rather not write more on a topic so close to heart.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speedball_(drug) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speedball_(drug) That'll get you started.

burnt-resistor 1y ago

Prescriptions keep getting more expensive thanks to tariffs and inflation which hurts the poorest people the most, plus increased unsafe coping habits occurring due to added misery inflicted by this heartless regime equals more OD's. Another related problem is the narrow therapeutic range of legal and illegal opioids combined with inadequate prescription duplication and overlap detection leads to less aware patients taking multiple substances and/or taking too much leading to unintentional OD.