Opioid abuse and addiction affected some 2.6 million Americans in 2015. The number of opioid overdose deaths that year reached upwards of 33,000, with some estimates putting the figure as high as 52,000 overdose deaths.
Opioids include narcotic pharmaceuticals, heroin and fentanyl. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), nearly 30 percent of patients who take prescription opioids misuse them, and as many as 12 percent will develop an opioid abuse disorder. These prescription painkillers are essentially legal heroin.
Once addicted, users who can’t obtain more prescription opioids often turn to street dealers for heroin and fentanyl. Shockingly, about 80 percent of heroin addicts say they began by misusing prescription narcotics, according to the NIDA.
Heroin and Cocaine Often Combined Together
Heroin (a synthetic drug derived from morphine) and fentanyl (an opioid similar to morphine, but 50 to 100 times more potent) are often “cut” with other drugs – frequently, cocaine.
Conversely, cocaine is often cut with heroin. Using a combination of the two drugs, typically via injection, is known as speedballing. Heroin smoked together with freebased cocaine is known as an 8-ball.
The effects of combining opioids with cocaine can alternately include:
- Euphoria and irritability
- Being talkative or withdrawn
- Dilated pupils
- Vomiting
- Lethargy
- Passing out
Potentially Fatal Result
The combined effects of opioids and cocaine can be devastating. Cocaine, a powerful stimulant, increases the heart rate, while opioids, which are depressants, slow down the heart. Cocaine wears off much more quickly than opioids, and the result can be a fatal heart attack.
Toxicology findings in opioid overdose deaths show a co-occurring increase in cocaine overdoses, even without an increase in reported nationwide cocaine use. According to the NIDA, cocaine abuse in the U.S. has remained relatively stagnant since 2009 – at about 900,000 users annually – and is down significantly from its peak in the 1990s.
Drug abuse and addiction can be deadly, no matter the substance used. However, the opioid epidemic has brought this crisis to a whole new level. Without an infusion of significant resources and funding for education, treatment and research, this epidemic likely will show no signs of stopping.