U.S. overdose deaths plummet, saving thousands of lives, blared the headline from NPR yesterday. For the 12-month period April 2023 to April 2024, deaths fell nationally for the first time, declining by 10%.
Here in Connecticut, we witnessed a decline beginning in November 2021. Deaths are down by 20% in our state when comparing the 12-month period ending November 2021 with the 12-month period ending April 2024, and I have every indication that that trend is continuing through the summer.
In May, I speculated on some of the reasons for declining rates:
Harm reduction and the availability of naloxone. Ten years ago when I responded to an overdose, I was the only one carrying naloxone. Now, half the time I arrive, the patient is already awake and talking, having gotten their naloxone either from family, bystander, or police or fire first responders. This doesn't include all those resuscitations where bystanders gave naloxone and 911 was never called. An unknown, but likely high number.
An increase in treatment such as buprenorphine and methadone, which have been proven to save lives and get people off the more dangerous heroin and fentanyl. I don't know the numbers, but I know they are increasing. I also know they are still way too few to meet the demand.
Dealers, recognizing the difficulty of properly mixing fentanyl so it isn't too lethal, have begun cutting fentanyl with cheaper, less deadly drugs like xylazine.
Decline in prescribing. Fewer people are getting hooked by their family doctors, and thus fewer to add to the pool at risk for death.
The recognition of fentanyl's lethality and the impact of the death of friends and loved ones may keep people from experimenting to the degrees they might otherwise have.
There may be other reasons that aren't yet clear. Law enforcement stopping drugs at the border doesn't seem to be one of them as fentanyl continues to be cheap and widely available, selling here in Connecticut for as little as $2 a bag.
Let's hope the downward decline not only continues, but accelerates. We know what works! Let's double our efforts! Let's get more naloxone on the streets, increase treatment options, fight against stigma and promote harm reduction initiatives such as overdose prevention sites.
100,000 deaths nationwide and 1200 here in Connecticut are still far too many. No time for celebration while the epidemic continues to slaughter our people.