Research indicates that experience of a nonfatal drug overdose is a strong predictor of a future fatal drug overdose. As such, a recent study assessed the association between multiple drug use and nonfatal overdose among young people who inject drugs. Study participants living in San Francisco were randomly recruited to complete an interviewer-administered questionnaire every three months from April 2012 – February 2014 (n=173 participants). Eligibility criteria included age (younger than 30yo) and having injected drugs in the last three months. The questionnaire required participants to report non-fatal overdoses in the past three months, defined as a “loss of consciousness during which at least one intervention was attempted by a third party”. In this study, the incidence rate of nonfatal overdose was 19 per 100 person-years. Statistical analyses indicated the odds for nonfatal overdose during the three month periods…
- Increased 40% with every 5 additional days that heroin was injected
- Increased 22% with every 5 additional days prescription benzodiazepines were misused
- Increased 4.5-fold when greater than 10 alcoholic drinks were consumed
Take Away: In this study, the odds of nonfatal overdose significantly increased as use of heroin, benzodiazepines, and alcohol increased among young people who inject drugs. Beyond this study, research indicates that benzodiazepines often contribute to drug overdose deaths. As such, the authors encourage efforts that combat drug overdose to include education about multiple drug use, especially use of central nervous system depressants (e.g. benzodiazepines and alcohol).