The 3 Easiest Drugs to Overdose On

Which Drugs Cause the Most Overdoses?

When someone’s life is impacted by mental health issues or substance abuse, there are a lot of risk factors involved. From nausea and headaches to overdose deaths, there are no good drugs to abuse.  There are some drugs that are more dangerous than others, including causing drug overdose deaths, and many of these fall into the prescription opioids or synthetic opioids category.  Opioid overdose has increased over the past two decades and an opioid epidemic,  including counterfeit pill production, has been declared in the United States for quite some time now. 

If you or one of your loved ones is struggling with substance abuse and would like to talk to one of the counselors at Resurgence about addiction treatment, call us any time for more information on our levels of care, types of treatment, and especially additional resources regarding drug overdoses.

Over the last 20 years, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, overdose deaths involving drugs have climbed from under 20,000 per year to over 91,000 per year. This timeline mirrors the increase in prescription opioids being abused in the U.S. Synthetic opioids can become addicting even when taken as directed and any changes to the way a medication is affecting you, including experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you stop using the drug, should be reported to your health professionals immediately. Prescription opioids, Fentanyl specifically, and heroin are three of the most dangerous drugs or types of substances for drug overdoses. 

1. Fentanyl

Fentanyl is a prescription painkiller that falls into the category of synthetic opioids that are prescribed by health professionals often after surgery or an accident for pain management. Opioid overdose involving Fentanyl can easily happen as it is 50 to 100 times more powerful than Morphine. Overdose risk is high regarding Fentanyl because it is also made illegally in addition to the prescription medications that are used for legitimate purposes. A counterfeit pill of this nature makes it hard to tell what dosage you are taking. Overdose deaths involving Fentanyl also occur when other substances are laced with the drug, like heroin. This creates a public health risk as well because even illicit substance abusers are used to a certain dose of a drug and Fentanyl increases it greatly.

2. Prescription Painkillers

Most prescription drugs are very safe to take when health care provider instructions are followed. A Prescription painkiller for pain management can be very useful for patients post-surgery or who have chronic pain for any reason. There are dozens of brand-name prescription opioids issued every day by health professionals. If you are prescribed medications for pain management, be sure to ask about additional resources for information if you have any questions about what you are taking. If you ever have any problems while taking medications for pain management, contact your health care provider or medical center immediately for guidance. 

3. Heroin

Although there are risk factors when you take a prescription painkiller, there are no legal medical or health care uses for heroin. Overdose deaths involving heroin can happen for a number of reasons. The most recent issue has been heroin laced with Fentanyl in order to increase the potency, which has become a public health issue. This is due to the fact that heroin users no longer know what they are getting and using. There is an overdose risk when using heroin for the first time, too, as you don’t know how your body will react to the drug. 

Drug Rehab at Resurgence

Preventing overdose deaths and lowering the overdose rate is a major concern for government officials and health professionals alike. Substance abuse and addiction treatment is a very good way to save lives, as addiction recovery is an excellent path to eliminating drug overdose deaths.  If you would like to know more about how we can help you begin your recovery journey, call us at Resurgence today.

These 3 drugs can easily lead to overdose. Call Resurgence Behavioral Health to get help for addiction today! #addictivedrugs #drugoverdose #overdosepreventionhttps://t.co/pzLOvd4cdt

— Resurgence Behavioral Health (@RBHRecovery) August 19, 2022

Alexa Iocco