Opioid Overdoses in Indiana: A Closer Look at Opioid Type

Abstract

The misuse of prescription and illicit opioids remains at epidemic proportions, costing the United States billions of dollars annually. Overdose deaths in both the U.S. and Indiana have seen a dramatic increase over the past ten years. Until recently, prescription opioids were responsible for the greatest number of overdose deaths, but now have been surpassed by fatalities involving heroin and illicitly manufactured narcotics, primarily fentanyl.