Spurred by fentanyl, fatal opioid overdoses increase in Massachusetts
The opioid-related overdose death toll in Massachusetts continues to escalate as more and more people in the state are dying from the synthetic painkiller fentanyl, according to a report released Wednesday by the state Department of Health.An estimated 984 people fatally overdosed in the state in the first half of this year, compared to an estimated 784 people who died in the first half of 2015, the report states. The numbers show a continuous rise in overdose deaths, since fatalities began to uptick sharply in 2013.The percentage of people who fatally overdosed and tested positive fentanyl has also increased – 66 percent in the first half of this year compared to 57 percent in the first half of 2015.Fentanyl is a powerful prescription painkiller between 50-100 times as powerful as morphine. Opioid users sometimes seek out fentanyl but are often unaware they are ingesting the drug, as it is often used to lace heroin to increase its potency, or pressed into tablets and disguised to look like other painkillers like oxycodone. The report from the state shows that while fatal opioid overdoses are up in the state, prescriptions for legal painkillers are down. The report also shows that the rate of heroin and prescription drug overdoses has been decreasing in the state at the same rate that fentanyl overdoses are increasing.
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