Articles

Youth opioid overdoses are rising in the United States because more teenagers are willing to experiment with hardcore drugs. In 2023, the once frightening specter that hung over narcotics use strangely is no longer present. In the past, heroin and other opioids were the boogeymen of drug users. If you crossed that line, then you were diving deep into the drug scene. Once that line was crossed, there was no turning back.

However, in the popular culture of today, fentanyl and prescription painkiller experimentation are common. Despite a sharp rise in youth opioid overdoses, the specter of fear no longer occupies the front lines. For some unknown reason, teens and young people are willing to take huge chances in this day and age. Given the incredible power of fentanyl and synthetic opioids (fifty to one hundred times stronger than heroin), the dangers are much greater than before. Thus, is the sharp rise in youth opioid overdoses surprising?

Fentanyl Use and Youth Opioid Overdoses

Published in the journal Pediatrics in January 2023, a new study shows the growing toll of opioid overdoses and fentanyl use on teenagers. According to the CDC, the rate of teenage overdoses from fentanyl rose fourfold between 2010 and 2021. Clearly, if the rate of youth opioid overdoes is quadrupling in a decade, there is a real crisis at hand. However, there is a potential remedy to this crisis.

Beyond prevention efforts, treatment services are the answer to the rise in youth opioid overdoses. As a provider of Youth SUD Treatment Services, Tarzana Treatment Centers (TTC) is on the front lines of the current crisis. Indeed, both in residential and outpatient settings, we provide services that help save lives, setting young people back on the right track. Moreover, unlike the vast majority of youth recovery facilities, we also provide Medications for Addiction Treatment (MAT Services) for youth.

Youth Opioid Overdoses and MAT Services

Overcoming the stigma attached to OUD treatment medications, TTC uses MAT Services to save lives. After all, withdrawal management and early recovery from opioid use disorder are challenging. Thus, by offering MAT Services to youth, TTC increases the chance of a successful and lasting recovery. For example, buprenorphine works by dampening opioid cravings and withdrawal symptoms. This medication can be taken by mouth, through extended-release injections, or as an implant under the skin.

Despite proof of success, prescriptions remain extremely low for youth and adults nationwide. In the study, the CDC found that the percentage of American youth (12-19) given buprenorphine dropped by 45% from 2015 to 2020. As the crisis worsened, the medications that helped were not being used. Indeed, in the five years, the rate dropped from 7.6 out of every 100,000 teens per year to just over 4 per 100,000.

The stigma related to opioid use disorder – the boogieman of heroin – transfers to the medications that treat opioid use disorder. It is a vicious cycle that prevents some treatment providers from using the most effective recovery methods. It seems baffling that there is a reluctance among medical providers to offer treatment method that works in practice.

Tarzana Treatment Centers and MAT Services for Youth

In contrast to this antiquated perspective, the clinical team at TTC is on the cutting edge of recovery options. Hence, TTC works with state and federal governments to research the recovery options that lead to successful treatment outcomes. If MAT Services prevents youth opioid overdoses, we determine the best way to make these services accessible to young people in need.

Today, pediatricians rarely prescribe these drugs. Indeed, buprenorphine prescriptions account for less than 2% of all prescriptions to teens. With teens dying in this country every day from youth opioid overdoses, there needs to be a shift in perspective. Ultimately, our responsibility as providers of treatment services is to use the best resources available to save young lives.