American Society of Addiction Medicine
American Society of Addiction Medicine
Lead: Co-involvement of stimulants with opioids in North America: A 'silent epidemic’
Lead: Co-involvement of stimulants with opioids in North America: A 'silent epidemic’
Lead: Co-involvement of stimulants with opioids in North America: A 'silent epidemic’
Tuesday 29th July 2025
Explore the silent epidemic of stimulant-opioid co-use in North America, revealing alarming trends and urgent calls for harm reduction strategies.
7 minutes
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Eye-opening
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American Society of Addiction Medicine
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Get the buttons here!Silent Epidemic: Stimulants and Opioids in North America
Episode Overview
- Stimulant and opioid co-use increases fatality rates.
- Synthetic opioids are currently the biggest threat.
- Public interest in stimulants has declined since 2004-2005.
- Tobacco use among heroin users causes similar deaths as illegal drugs.
- Urgent need for harm reduction strategies.
"Co-use leads to more deaths than either drug alone"
In this eye-opening episode of 'This Week in Addiction Medicine', the spotlight is on a 'silent epidemic' sweeping across North America. With a mix of urgency and insight, the discussion highlights the co-involvement of stimulants like methamphetamine and cocaine with opioids, leading to a troubling rise in fatalities. Drawing from U.S. and Canadian data, the episode paints a vivid picture of how these substances are often consumed together, exacerbating the opioid crisis.
You'll learn about the three waves of the opioid epidemic, with synthetic opioids now posing the greatest threat. The episode uses intriguing tools like Google Trends to explore public interest in these substances and uncovers a decline since their peak in the mid-2000s. However, the real kicker is the alarming fact that co-use leads to more deaths than either drug alone, underscoring the need for urgent harm reduction strategies.
The episode also touches on tobacco use among heroin users, revealing a surprising parity between deaths caused by tobacco and illegal drugs. There's a call to action for health professionals and policymakers to ramp up efforts in harm reduction and awareness campaigns. If you're curious about addiction medicine and its latest findings, this episode is packed with information that might just change your perspective.