The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a sobering report indicating a significant increase in overdose deaths associated with counterfeit prescription pills. This surge, especially prevalent among individuals under the age of 35, raises alarm bells about the dangers of fake medications.
According to the CDC’s findings, the number of fatal overdoses stemming from fake prescription pills has more than doubled in recent years. Tragically, the majority of these victims believed they were consuming legitimate medications like oxycodone or Xanax, but these pills were not obtained from licensed pharmacies. Instead, they were purchased on the streets, within classrooms, or from acquaintances. These counterfeit pills often closely resemble genuine pharmaceuticals but are typically concocted with a blend of undisclosed ingredients.
Tonja Myles, an addiction expert and community engagement adviser with Huntsman Mental Health Foundation in Salt Lake City, cautioned that counterfeit pills, including those in gummy form, are sometimes manufactured to appear authentic but are often tainted with fatal doses of fentanyl.
Julie O’Donnell, an epidemiologist in the CDC’s division of overdose prevention and an author of the report, emphasized the heightened risk of overdose among individuals who believe they are using legitimate pharmaceuticals when, in reality, they are consuming counterfeit drugs.
Released on International Overdose Awareness Day, the CDC’s report highlights the alarming increase in overdose deaths related to counterfeit drugs, rising from 2% to 4.7% between mid-2019 and the end of 2021. O’Donnell stressed that these statistics likely underestimate the full extent of the crisis. The data is derived from the CDC’s state unintentional drug overdose reporting system, which relies on information gleaned from death certificates, coroner’s reports, toxicology analyses, and eyewitness accounts.
The report revealed that illicit fentanyl was detected in a staggering 93% of all overdose deaths linked to fake pills, with more than half (57.1%) of these tragic incidents occurring in individuals under the age of 35.
One heartbreaking example is the case of Jake Carter from Noblesville, Indiana, who, on January 2, 2021, believed he was taking oxycodone before his 24th birthday. Tragically, the pills he consumed were counterfeit and laced with deadly levels of fentanyl. Carter did not survive to see his birthday, leaving behind his fiancée, Kaylee Dugger, who was pregnant at the time.
Dugger hopes that sharing her partner’s story will dissuade others from using counterfeit pills, emphasizing that his overdose was unintentional. She is committed to raising awareness about the dangers of fentanyl poisoning and overdose.
The report underscores the grim reality of drug overdose deaths in the United States, which have reached historic highs. In 2021, nearly 107,000 people succumbed to drug overdoses, and preliminary estimates for 2022 suggest a similarly distressing figure of 105,000, according to the CDC.
Geographic variations were noted in the prevalence of counterfeit drugs, with fake oxycodone being most frequently found in the West and fake Xanax in the South. Notably, within Western states, overdose deaths linked to counterfeit pills surged more than threefold, from 4.7% in 2019 to 14.7% by late 2021. This increase is largely attributed to the growing illegal and counterfeit drug supply.
Tonja Myles emphasized the urgent need to educate young people about the perils of consuming pills that could be counterfeit, urging parents to engage in candid conversations with their children about the potential risks. She underscored the importance of not accepting any medication, even seemingly benign ones like aspirin, from friends or acquaintances.
