01/26/2026
Overdose deaths in adults age 65 and older from fentanyl mixed with stimulants, such as co***ne and methamphetamines, have surged 9,000% in the past eight years, matching rates found among younger adults, according to research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2025 annual meeting.
The study is among the first to use Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data to show that older adults, a group often overlooked in overdose research, are part of the broader rise in fentanyl-stimulant overdose deaths.
Adults 65 years and older are especially vulnerable to overdoses because many live with chronic health conditions, take several medications and process drugs more slowly due to age.
The opioid epidemic has unfolded in four waves, each characterized by a different type of opioid driving the increase in overdose deaths: prescription opioids in the 1990s; he**in starting in 2010; fentanyl starting in 2013; and a mix of fentanyl and stimulants starting in 2015.
“A common misconception is that opioid overdoses primarily affect younger people,” said Gab Pasia, M.A., lead author of the study and a medical student at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. “Our analysis shows that older adults are also impacted by fentanyl-related deaths and that stimulant involvement has become much more common in this group. This suggests older adults are affected by the current fourth wave of the opioid crisis, following similar patterns seen in younger populations.”
To access this American Society of Anesthesiologists news release, please see https://www.asahq.org/about-asa/newsroom/news-releases/2025/10/adults-65-years-and-older-not-immune-to-the-opioid-epidemic
To learn more about how Genesis Reference Laboratories can provide urine and oral fluid toxicology testing to aid in medication monitoring and detection of substance use, please call: (844) 510-0194.