Which drugs carry highest overdose risk?
- By Robert Mauer
- Reviewed by: Dr. Janaka Hanvey, PhD
Drugs that suppress breathing or consciousness carry the highest overdose risk. Opioids are most strongly associated with fatal overdose, particularly when combined with other depressants such as alcohol or benzodiazepines.
Other substances can also pose serious risk. Stimulants can disrupt heart rhythm and body temperature, and synthetic drugs may have unpredictable potency.
Overdose risk depends not only on the drug itself, but also on dose, combinations, tolerance, and individual vulnerability.
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Sources
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA):
https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/addiction-science
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
https://www.cdc.gov/overdose/prevention/index.html
National Institutes of Health (NIH):
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK27946/
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA):
https://www.samhsa.gov/substance-use