A new study published in the journal Pediatrics examined trends in overdose mortality and found that, among youth, opioid overdoses more commonly involved multiple substances than opioids alone, starting at age 21. Polysubstance-involved overdose deaths occurred among youth as young as 15 years old, and rose steadily with age. The findings also demonstrated that fentanyl and other synthetic opioids were involved in more than 93% of overdose deaths, while stimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine were the primary contributors to polysubstance-involved deaths.

Despite concerns about increased stimulant prescribing, nonmedical use of ADHD drugs among adolescents has declined in the last 20 years, a University of Michigan study shows.

While medical use of prescription stimulants for ADHD among adolescents increased slightly between 2005 and 2023, nonmedical use declined more.