Polysubstance involvement in youth opioid overdoses increases with age
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 4-Sep-2025 16:11 ET (4-Sep-2025 20:11 GMT/UTC)
A new study published in the journal Pediatrics examined trends in overdose mortality and found that, among youth, opioid overdoses more commonly involved multiple substances than opioids alone, starting at age 21. Polysubstance-involved overdose deaths occurred among youth as young as 15 years old, and rose steadily with age. The findings also demonstrated that fentanyl and other synthetic opioids were involved in more than 93% of overdose deaths, while stimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine were the primary contributors to polysubstance-involved deaths.