The Shocking Numbers Reveal an Explosion in Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Use, Foreshadowing Potential Trouble Ahead.

Subject matter experts from all corners of the treatment community delivered messages on the state of the industry, including Millennium Health's Joseph D. Stanton, Ph.D. and Eric Dawson, PharmD, who presented their latest statistics – near real-time data, normally unavailable – on drug use pre- and post-pandemic. Their presentation was a sobering reminder of the current crisis, and it has many treatment professionals concerned for the future as synthetic drugs (fentanyl) and the resurgence of methamphetamines drive a spike in overdose deaths.

The information presented was from the latest edition of Millennium Health's Signals ReportTM.  This report includes an analysis of Millennium Health's proprietary database of definitive urine drug test results and focuses on changing trends for non-prescribed fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine, comparing pre-COVID-19 (March 13, 2019 – December 31, 2019) and COVID-19 (March 13, 2020 – December 31, 2020) time periods. Some highlights from the data include:

• After initially increasing as the pandemic struck, cocaine and heroin positivity rates appear to have fallen below March 13, 2020 levels, while fentanyl and methamphetamine increased dramatically and remain at alarming levels

• Nationally, fentanyl and methamphetamine use increased 78% and 29%, respectively

• Fentanyl increased significantly in all U.S. census divisions, led by increases in the Pacific division. Four Pacific states (Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and California) more than doubled their fentanyl positivity

• Methamphetamine increases were led by the New England and Mid Atlantic divisions

The research done by Millennium Health highlights the fact that the United States is well within a third, and perhaps even a fourth wave of the substance use crisis that is contributing to rising drug overdose deaths. The "three waves" include first, the prescription opioid wave, second, the heroin wave, and third, the synthetic opioid wave, largely led by fentanyl, a potent substance that is highly profitable for drug trafficking organizations. The fourth wave appears to be stimulants, led primarily by growing methamphetamine use. Dr. Eric Dawson, of Millennium Health, also provided an in-depth look at gabapentinoids, and the frequency of drug detection among patients prescribed methadone to illustrate the magnitude of the problem. These real-time, innovative reports help improve the efficient use of available resources and positively impact the lives of patients, their families, and communities. 

About Millennium Health

Millennium Health is an accredited specialty laboratory with over a decade of experience in medication monitoring and drug testing services, helping clinicians monitor use of prescription medications and illicit drugs and analyzing specimens to find nationwide drug use trends. Our pharmacogenetic testing services help clinicians make more informed medication choices.

About KipuHealth

KipuHealth is the leading enterprise software provider serving the substance use, mental health, and eating disorder communities with its suite of cloud-based products. The KipuEMR, a fully configurable electronic health record and integrated billing platform designed for — and within — the treatment community, is the largest and most widely implemented EMR solution for treatment, used daily by more than 83,000 users at more than 1,800 facilities worldwide.