Drug overdose deaths continue to rise, breaking yet another record in 2022, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC reported that 107,941 Americans died from drug overdoses that year — which is about 1% higher than overdose deaths in 2021. The number of fatal overdoses has risen almost … Read more
As the U.S. weathers its fourth wave of the opioid epidemic crisis, more people are turning to non-opioids — including a natural remedy known as kratom — to combat their pain. Yet medical examiners and coroners have found that kratom caused 1.5% to 1.7% of overdose deaths between Jan. 2020 and Dec. 2022. That’s according to … Read more
Experts are sounding the alarm after a man recently died from a Vitamin D overdose. David Mitchener, 89, passed away in suburban London, England, after taking high levels of the supplement for nine months prior to his death. Members of the local medical community are now taking the opportunity to warn the public of the … Read more
NEW YORK (AP) — Smoking has surpassed injecting as the most common way of taking drugs in U.S. overdose deaths, a new government study suggests. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called its study published Thursday the largest to look at how Americans took the drugs that killed them. CDC officials decided to study … Read more
Robert De Niro has opened up about his “disbelief” over the fatal overdose of his grandson Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, admitting that the 19-year-old’s death “shouldn’t have happened.” Rodriguez, the only son of the actor’s daughter Drena, 56, died from an accidental overdose after taking pills that were laced with fentanyl last July. Speaking about the … Read more
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is raising concerns over so-called “designer Xanax” that has been tied to a rising number of deaths and hospitalizations. The drug, an unapproved benzodiazepine (“benzos”) sedative called bromazolam, has led to hyperthermia, seizures, myocardial injury, comas and multi-day intensive care stays, according to CDC … Read more
Federal officials issued a stark warning about an easily found supplement known as “gas station heroin” after it caused users to have seizures and lose consciousness. Neptune’s Fix — aka “gas station heroin” — contains tianeptine, “a potentially dangerous substance that is not FDA-approved for any medical use but is illegally sold with claims to … Read more
There’s a heartbreaking moment in the new “Milli Vanilli” documentary — which premieres Tuesday on Paramount+ — when Fab Morvan recalls one of the last times he saw his “Girl You Know It’s True” partner Rob Pilatus before his death from an accidental overdose in 1998. It was outside of the Viper Room rock club … Read more
Guzzling too much water can make you seriously ill and could, in rare instances, even be deadly. An Indiana mother of two died last month after consuming an estimated 64 ounces of water in just 20 minutes — that’s how much water the average human should gulp in one day. Known as water toxicity — which hospitalized … Read more
In the nationwide battle against opioid abuse, New Jersey paramedics have found success with a treatment-focused approach. Camden County, in southwestern New Jersey near Philadelphia, has one of the highest overdose and drug-related death rates in the state. When responding to an overdose, paramedics use naloxone, a drug that reverses the effects of opioids — … Read more
There’s a new drug in town – and it has deadly consequences. Xylazine — otherwise known as “tranq,” “tranq dope” and “zombie drug” — is wreaking havoc in major cities across the country with its devastating effects: It can literally rot the user’s skin. The substance, which seemed to first appear in Philadelphia before migrating west … Read more
Overdose antidote Narcan is moving one step closer to being available to the general public — without a prescription. US Food and Drug Administration reps are meeting with advisers Wednesday to discuss a proposal to sell an over-the-counter version of the lifesaving drug. Naloxone spray — often used to reverse the effects of fentanyl overdose — … Read more
After months of speculation, an autopsy has revealed the cause of death for “9-1-1: Lone Star” and “The Rookie” star Tyler Sanders, who was discovered dead in his Los Angeles home in June. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, the 18-year-old “Fear The Walking Dead” actor died from the effects of fentanyl in … Read more
Life expectancy in the United States is at its shortest since 1996, dragged down by an increase in COVID and drug overdose deaths, according to federal data. Coronavirus caused the third-most deaths in the US in 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday, with only heart disease and cancer causing more. Drug … Read more
A type of synthetic opioid is increasing leading to overdose deaths, according to a new CDC report. Known as nitazenes, these opioids were developed more than 60 years ago as a potential pain reliever medication. They have never been approved for clinical use in the United States. Overdose deaths linked to a powerful group of … Read more