"Methamphetamine use , methamphetamine-related overdoses, and methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) are national problems that cause serious illness and death.. Making matters worse, methamphetamine is frequently taken along with fentanyl. Speedballing (using an opioid depressant with a psychostimulant) is an everyday reality. From January 2021 to June 2024, nearly a third (31.2%) of all overdose deaths involved methamphetamine, and almost three-quarters (73.0%) co-involved opioids."
"By the late 1960s-1970s, large-scale cross-border production surged. Today, methamphetamine is highly pure, made in clandestine labs, and trafficked by transnational organizations. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that nearly 60% of fatal fentanyl overdoses in 2023 involved stimulants. Clinically, this means that first responders, emergency departments, and treatment encounters usually have to contend with mixed, multiple drugs, rarely single agents."
Methamphetamine use, methamphetamine-related overdoses, and methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) cause substantial illness and death, with a high and rising role in overdose fatalities. A large portion of methamphetamine-involved deaths co-occur with opioids, especially fentanyl, producing common polysubstance exposures that complicate clinical care. Methamphetamine production evolved from early 20th-century medical and military use to large-scale cross-border manufacture and current clandestine, high-purity synthesis trafficked by transnational groups. Counterfeit pills and widespread fentanyl contamination increase unrecognized opioid exposure. Clinical responses must assume mixed-drug use and consider naloxone because fentanyl adulteration is common.
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