Commonly prescribed opioid painkiller use may be linked to several cancers, including bladder cancer, according to a large new study. Mahdi Sheikh of the International Agency for Research on Cancer led a research team that found a potential new dimension to long-standing concerns about opioid use. 

Using data from the UK Biobank, Sheikh’s researchers learned that people taking strong opioids such as morphine had a 90% higher cancer risk than people not taking them, while weaker opioids like codeine were tied to a 30% increase.

Cancers Linked to Opioids

The research connected opioid use to five cancer types: bladder, lung, pancreatic, esophageal, and head and neck. These cancers have a long association with opium, the poppy-derived drug that has several street names. The World Health Organization classified opium as carcinogenic in 2020.

The link had specific components. The study didn’t associate opioids with cancers such as breast or prostate, and other painkillers like acetaminophen showed no effect on cancer risk at all. That pattern mirrored the cancers tied to opium and partly made the findings notable to Sheikh’s team.

Findings & Implications

The results show an association, not proof of cause. People who take opioids often have other health conditions, so researchers can’t yet say the medications alone are responsible for the added risk.

Sheikh stressed that the findings shouldn’t scare people away from opioids when they genuinely need these drugs. These medications remain essential because they work to reduce severe pain and appear on the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines. Many folks also use opioids in substitution therapy to cope with opioid use disorders. His takeaway emphasized that these medications shouldn’t be used without clinical necessity. 

An independent expert who reviewed the work, Faraz Bishehsari of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, called the study well-executed. He did note the complexity of the opioid-cancer relationship, which varies by cancer type, exposure and biology.

Opioids and Addiction Treatment

Opioids include prescription medications as well as dangerous drugs like fentanyl. They relieve pain by binding to opioid receptors in the brain, and that same action can produce dependence and, over time, opioid addiction.

Warning signs of opioid abuse include taking more than prescribed, using the drug to cope with stress rather than pain, failed attempts to cut back, and continued use despite harm to health, work, or relationships. Authorities have warned that the illicit synthetic drug supply is increasingly contaminated with fentanyl, and the risk of fatal overdose has climbed sharply.

• Naloxone, branded as Narcan, can reverse an opioid overdose within minutes. The public can increasingly buy Narcan without a prescription at pharmacies and through community distribution programs. Fentanyl test strips also help people check a drug supply for contamination.

• For treating opioid use disorder, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone reduces cravings and withdrawals. Clinicians typically pair MAT with counseling and peer support. 

• Narcotics Anonymous offers free, widely available peer recovery meetings for people working to stop drug use, and many people use NA alongside medication and professional treatment rather than as a replacement for them.

Signing Up for NA

If prescription opioids or other drugs have become hard to control, you have options. If you’re on the fence about NA meetings, including in-person, virtual, and Spanish-language formats. You can also ask about MAT and detox programs in any area.

Find NA meetings in your area, learn how naloxone works, or call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to speak with an expert. Or browse our directory to find NA chapters anywhere in the country.

A new brain-imaging study adds to what researchers understand about how opioid addiction can affect the body. This time, findings point to the brain’s memory center. People with opioid use disorder had measurably smaller hippocampal volumes than people without it, and the difference was concentrated in one specific part of the structure.

The study was headed by Paul S. Regier of the University of Pennsylvania, along with co-author Nora D. Volkow of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The findings are early, but help explain a problem many people in recovery describe firsthand: trouble with memory and thinking.

The Status of the Opioid Crisis in the USA

The context for this work is a crisis that, while easing, remains severe. U.S. overdose deaths peaked in late 2023 at roughly 111,000 a year, with opioids contributing to more than two-thirds of those deaths. Deaths have since fallen to just under 80,000 in 2025, but overdose remains a leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 44, according to figures from the CDC and NIDA.

Beyond overdose, opioid use disorder is linked to worse physical health, higher risk of infectious and chronic disease, mental health conditions, and cognitive challenges. This study zeroes in on that last piece.

The Study’s Results

Researchers re-analyzed brain MRI scans from seven independent datasets, combining 94 participants who take opioids like cannabinoids and 40 without. Compared with the control group, people with opioid use disorder had significantly smaller hippocampal volumes on both the left and right sides of the brain.

The hippocampus is the brain region most associated with forming and recalling episodic memory, the memory of events and experiences. When the team looked closer, the difference was strongest in the back portion, the posterior right hippocampus. The front area didn’t show a significant difference after statistical correction.

In a smaller subset of participants who took standardized memory tests, larger hippocampal volume was linked to better memory accuracy in the control group. The researchers describe the brain differences as real but varied from one person to the next.

Understanding the Medication Findings

Nearly two-thirds of the opioid use disorder participants were on medications for opioid use disorders, with 31 taking methadone and 24 on buprenorphine; the remaining 35 weren’t on medication. In an exploratory part of the analysis, the methadone-treated group showed smaller posterior hippocampal volumes than both the control group and the buprenorphine-treated group.

This finding needs careful reading. It was exploratory, the subgroups were small, and the study can’t show that any medication caused the difference. The methadone group also enrolled during the fentanyl era of the crisis, while the no-medication group came from an earlier period, so exposure histories differed. The authors call for more research rather than any change in care.

That caution matters because medication assisted treatment (MAT) remains the most effective, evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder. Decades of research show MAT reduces overdose deaths, cravings, and return to use. Some research even suggests that staying consistently on buprenorphine is associated with improvements in learning and memory over time. 

Nothing in this study changes the strong case for medication treatment; it raises questions for scientists to investigate, not a reason to stop or avoid medications.

News for Those in Recovery

For people in recovery, the practical takeaway is reassuring rather than alarming. Memory and concentration problems in early recovery are common and have a biological basis. Recognizing that can ease some of the self-blame people feel when their thinking feels foggy. The brain also has real capacity to heal over time in recovery.

If cognitive challenges make meetings, work, or treatment harder, that’s worth raising with a clinician, not a reason to give up.

Treatment Options Remain

Whatever path someone chooses, staying alive and connected comes first. Naloxone (Narcan) reverses an opioid overdose and is available without a prescription in most states; carrying it can save a life. Fentanyl test strips can help people check for the synthetic opioid driving most overdose deaths.

Medication for opioid use disorder, counseling, and peer support all have a place, and they work well together. 

Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is one widely used peer-support option, a free, 12-step program where people support one another in recovery from drug addiction. NA and medication treatment don’t conflict; many people use both.

Find Help Now

If you or someone you love is living with opioid addiction, there is a next step available right now. Use our directory to find NA meetings anywhere in the country, including in-person, online, and Spanish-language options. Or, simply dial 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to connect with opioid addiction treatment options.

A major new analysis is reshaping how doctors and patients think about opioids for long-term pain, and the findings matter for anyone worried about opioid addiction. One of the most comprehensive assessments to date concluded that for many common conditions, opioids may not actually help and often provide no meaningful benefit over a placebo. However, they still carry a real risk of dependence that can begin after just a short period of use.

Researchers at the University of Sydney led the study. The team pulled together evidence from 59 systematic reviews covering more than 50 acute pain conditions in children and adults, looking at common medications such as codeine, morphine, oxycodone and tramadol.

The Study’s Findings

The analysis concluded that opioids didn’t provide large or lasting pain relief compared with placebo for the vast majority of acute and chronic pain conditions. In fact, relief typically lasted only a few hours. For acute musculoskeletal pain, a common reason opioids are prescribed, oral opioids performed only slightly better than placebo in the 6-48 hours after starting treatment.

For several other conditions, opioids offered no advantage over placebo at all, including some limb surgeries, kidney stone pain, and pain after tonsil removal. They did provide modest short-term relief for certain conditions such as stomach pain, dental surgery pain and traumatic limb injuries.

“By showing that the benefits are generally small, short-lived, absent for many common conditions, and sometimes harmful, our research challenges the widely held belief that opioids are the most effective go-to option for acute pain,” reported author Christina Abdel Shaheed.

Undercutting the Opioid Crisis’s Roots

The findings land in the middle of an ongoing opioid crisis largely driven by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. If opioids often don’t deliver the pain relief patients and prescribers expect, then cutting unnecessary prescriptions and opting for non-opioid medications becomes an even clearer way to reduce the number of people who develop opioid use disorder in the first place.

That matters because the risks of regular use are serious. They include tolerance, dependence, overdose and hospitalization, and death. The analysis also found that opioids increased the risk of side effects like nausea and vomiting for several conditions.

Dependence Can Develop Quickly

One crucial takeaway is how fast dependence takes hold. “Persistent use of opioid medicines can develop quickly following first-time use,” relayed co-author Dr. Stephanie Mathieson. She added that abuse “may arise from regular use for acute pain.”

Mathieson urged that patients be informed about the potential harms of opioids and that doctors prescribe them judiciously. This means the lowest effective dose for the shortest time. Opioids have their place, but the decision to prescribe deserves real caution, especially when the expected benefit may be limited.

Treatment Options

For those who do take opioids and remain at risk of an addiction, remember that you can treat opioid use disorder. 

• For instance, naloxone (Narcan) can reverse an opioid overdose if given in time and is increasingly available without a prescription.

• Medication-assisted treatment is strongly supported by evidence and can be combined with counseling and peer support. 

• Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is among the easiest steps anyone can take. NA offers free, community-based meetings where people in recovery support one another, and many people use NA alongside medication and professional treatment rather than choosing one over the other.

NA in Every Community

Getting started is simple. You can find NA meetings in almost any community. Options include in-person, online, and those in different languages or cultural foci. 

Simply call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to chat with an expert and connect with opioid treatment programs in your area. Or, browse our directory for community NA chapters anywhere in the USA.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration collected more than 19,000 pounds of unused and expired medication across the Midwest during its spring Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The event marks an annual cleanout that helps keep leftover prescription opioids and other drugs out of the wrong hands. 

For families worried about opioid addiction in their own home, the event is a reminder of a simple risk-reduction step. Painkillers left in a medicine cabinet are a common starting point for misuse.

All About Take Back Day

On April 25, the DEA and 4,300+ law enforcement agencies nationwide collected 642,410 pounds of unneeded medication at the 30th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. More than 19,000 pounds came from 159 collection sites throughout the DEA’s Omaha Field Division that covered Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Special Agent Dustin Gillespie is in charge of the DEA Omaha Field Division. He credited local partners who help coordinate drop-off sites for the program’s reach. Gillespie noted how local support allows community members to safely clear unwanted medication from their homes and keep these substances out of their neighborhoods.

Since the program began in 2010, it has collected 21,034,225 pounds of medication nationwide, the equivalent of more than 10,500 tons. Residents of the five Omaha Field Division states have contributed 725,265 of those pounds.

Leftover Prescription Opioids Matter

Prescriptions such as oxycodone and hydrocodone remain central to the overdose crisis. Many people who develop opioid addiction first encounter these drugs through a legitimate prescription. But pills left over after an injury or surgery can be misused, taken by a family member, or diverted to someone else. 

Clearing them out lowers the risk of accidental poisoning, particularly for children. Disposing of these narcotics also removes a future stash that can fuel misuse. 

The DEA says the take-back program is built to prevent prescription drug misuse and reduce accidental overdoses and poisonings.

Year-Round Drug Disposal Options

People who missed the April event don’t have to wait for the next one. The DEA points to more than 16,500 pharmacies, hospitals, businesses and police departments that accept unused medication year-round, along with permanent drop boxes listed on its Every Day is Take Back Day resource. 

Gillespie encouraged residents to locate a year-round site and dispose of medication regularly rather than letting it be a one-and-done event in the household. Other practical tips to avoid exposure and addiction include coordinating with your doctor and seeking alternatives to opioids in the first place.

Harm Reduction Tactics

Disposing of unused pills is one piece of a larger response to the opioid crisis. In homes where opioid use already takes place, naloxone (sold as Narcan) can reverse an opioid overdose and can be bought at most pharmacies without a prescription. Fentanyl test strips can help detect the synthetic opioid that now drives most overdose deaths. 

For ongoing opioid addiction, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) remains among the most strongly evidence-based options. Therapists often combine MAT with counseling and peer support groups such as Narcotics Anonymous.

Help & NA meetings

Narcotics Anonymous offers free, peer-led support for people recovering from drug addiction, with meetings available in person and online across all five Midwest states and nationwide. If you or someone you love wants to stop an addiction to prescription opioids or other drugs, treatment options range from outpatient counseling to medical detox and inpatient care. 

Call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to chat with a specialist. Feel free to also look through our directory of verified listings for NA chapters anywhere in the USA.

The fentanyl crisis has left a trail of grieving families across Louisiana, and some of them now turn that grief into prevention. To be clear, the Bayou State already offers many programs to combat substance abuse, from neighborhood Narcotics Anonymous chapters to modern inpatient medical programs. Despite the many successes, the toll remains large.

Now, individuals and families fight back. Mo’s Movement, founded by a mother who lost her daughter to a fentanyl overdose, aims to help other families tell their stories, push for awareness and point people toward opioid addiction help before another life is lost.

A Mother’s Loss Behind the Movement

Angela Shockley started Mo’s Movement in 2024 after her daughter Morgan, known as “Mo,” died of a fentanyl overdose in March 2023 at age 31. Over nine years, Morgan went through 17 inpatient treatment programs before her death. Shockley founded the group as a drug prevention and awareness program for families who’ve lived through the same loss. She works alongside Janet Daigle, whose daughter Gabrielle died of a fentanyl overdose in April 2024 at age 28.

Mo’s Movement comes at a time when the number of opioid deaths are waning, but the crisis is still far from over. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid far stronger than heroin. Officials have found fentanyl mixed into many street drugs, often without the user’s knowledge. 

Since such a small amount of fentanyl can kill, overdoses often happen fast. Naloxone, sold as Narcan in a 4 mg dose and Kloxxado in an 8 mg dose, can reverse an opioid overdose if given quickly. Users can find naloxone for free in many communities. Nevertheless, overdoses still happen. Each time, a family grieves.

The Empty Chair Project

One of the group’s most visible efforts is the Empty Chair Project. Here, volunteers set out one chair for each person who died of an overdose in a given parish or county over the past year. The chairs are decorated in purple, the color of drug awareness. 

In Tangipahoa Parish, 38 overdose deaths from the past year plus four confirmed in early 2026 added up to 42 chairs placed on the lawn of a chapel at the Rosaryville Retreat Center. At the site, filmmaker Glen Muse of Texas Pictures has been documenting parents’ stories to generate further awareness.

Signs of Progress in Hard-Hit Parishes

Both mothers describe how shame keeps people with a substance use disorder from getting help. Shockley pointed out that guilt and embarrassment remain the fastest ways to push someone back into active use. She also stressed that addiction is a medical condition, not a failure of willpower. Daigle recalled how some medical providers treated her daughter differently once they learned she used drugs, a reaction that can deepen isolation.

Some Louisiana communities now see fewer deaths. Washington Parish, once ranked among the highest in the country for overdoses per capita, recorded a drop to 41 deaths in 2024 and seven in 2025. In Tangipahoa Parish, Sheriff Gerald Sticker pointed to a 45% decrease in fentanyl-related deaths. Sticker also singled out programs like Operation Angel, which connects people with addiction to treatment instead of jail. Incarceration alone doesn’t solve the problem.

Help for Opioid Addiction in the USA

Recovery from opioid addiction takes many forms, including medication for opioid use disorder, counseling, and peer support such as Narcotics Anonymous. For families and individuals looking for a next step, NA meetings offer free, ongoing peer support, and many areas now host both in-person and virtual options.

Getting started is simple. Just call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) or browse our directory for NA locations anywhere in the country alongside other treatment programs.

Folks living with opioid addiction face a danger many never expected, that of lethal fungal infections inside the same needles used to deliver their doses. A new university study based in Ohio has found that the illicit drug supply fueling the opioid crisis had contaminates far more than narcotics.

Residents out in Ohio have a wide variety of programs to combat substance misuse. From small Narcotics Anonymous chapters to large and modern inpatient care centers, The Buckeye State can help folks no matter their background. However, new developments like fungi complicate treatment programs for many.

The Opioid Crisis Across the County

Researchers at Bowling Green State University worked with the Toledo Lucas County Health Department to analyze used hypodermic needles collected through a local needle exchange program. 

The results took them by surprise. The average needle tested contained eight different compounds. Even worse, 86% of the needles carried xylazine. This is a powerful veterinary tranquilizer increasingly mixed into street drugs. The team also discovered a dangerous fungal pathogen called Candida in the used needles. 

The findings arrive against a grim national backdrop. More than 100,000 Americans have died annually since 2021 from intravenous drug use. Furthermore, fungal infections already claim roughly two million lives worldwide each year and climbing.

Driving the Trend

With reports of new synthetic drugs in the streets, the study initially set out to answer a basic question: what is actually in the drug supply driving narcotic addiction in northwest Ohio? Lead researcher Dr. Hans Wildschutte originally expected to find bacteria in the samples, not a fungus capable of life-threatening bloodstream infections. 

Coming into contact with Candida can lead to serious illness. Doctoral student Nara Souza noted that fungal infections are especially hard to treat because antifungal medications are limited or toxic. Diagnostic testing also takes longer than it does for bacterial infections. 

In an unexpected twist, the team also identified a soil-based bacterium called Pseudomonas that killed Candida in lab testing. This discovery can open a new path toward antifungal drug development for people affected by intravenous drug use.

Fentanyl’s Role in the Opioid Crisis

Opioids are a class of narcotic drugs, including heroin and prescription painkillers, that bind to receptors in the brain to relieve pain and produce euphoria. Fentanyl especially remains the single biggest driver of overdose deaths nationwide. But this study underscores how the broader opioid crisis has evolved beyond fentanyl alone. 

Xylazine is often called “tranq” and doesn’t respond to naloxone the way opioids do. This means a person who has used fentanyl or other narcotics cut with xylazine may need additional medical support during an overdose. The researchers also witnessed the presence of multiple unknown compounds in a single dose. These polysubstance doses make opioid abuse increasingly unpredictable and dangerous, even for people who believe they know what they are using.

Harm Reduction and Treatment for Opioid Addiction

Public health experts continue to emphasize harm reduction alongside long-term treatment. Naloxone access, fentanyl test strips and needle exchange programs like the one that made this research possible all reduce immediate health risks for people who use drugs. 

An opioid overdose slows or stops breathing, but naloxone can rapidly reverse those effects if administered in time.

Medication-assisted treatment remains among the most effective tools for treating opioid use disorder. 

Peer support through Narcotics Anonymous and other NA meetings also plays a critical role in long-term recovery, giving folks struggling with narcotic addiction a community of others who understand the path forward.

Help for Opioid Addiction

Intravenous drug use takes place across the country. For those impacted, enrolling in NA is often the first step. Meet your peers in your community and form fellowships that last a lifetime. Browse our listings for NA chapters anywhere in the country or call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) for opioid addiction treatment options.

Twenty Kentucky counties are banding together to tackle the opioid crisis head-on, and they have nearly $1 billion in settlement money to work with.

The Kentucky Association of Counties (KACo) has launched its Opioid Solutions Network, a first-of-its-kind cohort designed to help local governments turn settlement funds into real, on-the-ground recovery programs that reach people struggling with opioid addiction before it’s too late.

The Opioid Crisis by the Numbers in Kentucky

Kentucky has long ranked among the hardest-hit states in the national opioid epidemic. The commonwealth is set to receive approximately $1 billion in opioid settlement funds as part of the National Settlement Agreement

It was a nearly $50 billion nationwide payout from pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors held accountable for their role in fueling opioid abuse across the country.

Half of those settlement dollars flow to the state government, while the remaining half goes directly to local counties for allocation.

The problem, according to KACo Opioid Settlement Advisor Lauren Carr, is that not every county has the staff, expertise, or infrastructure to spend that money effectively.

“All 120 counties receive opioid settlement funds, but a lot of counties are different,” Carr said. “Some have the capacity to attack this, and some don’t, so we’re trying to break down the information and make it easily digestible in ways they can understand so they can put it into action in their community.”

That’s exactly what the 20-county cohort, which includes both Graves County and Trigg County in western Kentucky, is designed to fix.

What’s Driving the Network’s Formation

The opioid crisis does not affect every community the same way. Rural counties in particular often lack the public health infrastructure to identify the most effective interventions for narcotic addiction, navigate grant compliance requirements, or build the multi-agency partnerships that recovery experts say are essential.

KACo’s cohort offers member counties a structured framework for doing all of that. Carr said the network will push participating counties toward earning Kentucky’s “Recovery Ready Community” certification.

It’s a state designation requiring counties to demonstrate they can provide prevention, treatment, and sustained support services for people dealing with opioid addiction or other substance use disorders.

Only 39 of Kentucky’s 120 counties currently hold that certification, including McCracken County, which earned it in 2024.

Peer Recovery and Community-Based Treatment

On the ground, organizations like the Turning Point Recovery Community Center in McCracken County are already demonstrating what settlement funding can accomplish.

Site Administrator Nathan Brockett said collaboration with neighboring counties played a major role in Turning Point’s ability to earn Recovery Ready certification, and that the settlement dollars have opened doors that weren’t available before.

“We utilize that funding to create our mobile access to recovery program,” Brockett said. “We’re able to literally meet people where they’re at.” Turning Point used opioid abatement funding to purchase a van for mobile outreach, allowing recovery specialists to reach individuals with opioid addiction who might never walk through a clinic door.

Brockett added that the flexible nature of opioid abatement funds has allowed Turning Point to expand programming far beyond a single intervention. “The opioid abatement funding doesn’t make us so constrained,” he said.

“They allow us to be able to do so many different things.” The organization now has more ways to connect people struggling with narcotic addiction to treatment, peer support, and ongoing recovery services.

Understanding Opioid Addiction and Overdose Risk

Opioids are a class of drugs that include prescription pain medications, heroin, and synthetic opioids like fentanyl. They work by binding to receptors in the brain and body, producing pain relief and, at higher doses, respiratory depression that can lead to fatal overdose.

Fentanyl, now present in much of the illicit drug supply, is up to 100 times more potent than morphine, making accidental overdose a constant risk even for people who believe they are taking a different substance.

Naloxone (brand name Narcan) is a medication that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose and is available without a prescription at most pharmacies in Kentucky. Carrying naloxone is one of the most effective harm reduction steps anyone can take.

Finding Help for Opioid Addiction in Kentucky

For anyone in Kentucky dealing with opioid addiction or narcotic addiction, recovery resources are available:

NA Meetings in Kentucky — Narcotics Anonymous holds meetings across the state, including in Paducah, Mayfield, and surrounding western Kentucky communities. Find a meeting near you at na.org or search “NA meetings near me.”

Opioid Treatment Programs Near You — Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with buprenorphine or methadone is available through licensed providers across Kentucky. Contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 (free, confidential, 24/7) for opioid addiction treatment options near you.

Recovery Ready Communities — Kentucky’s certified Recovery Ready counties maintain directories of local prevention, treatment, and peer support services. Ask your county health department or visit the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission website for resources.

If you or a loved one needs support with recovery, you can search Narcotics.’com’s directory to find NA meetings in your area. Call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to speak with a treatment advisor today.

The advanced AI screening tools doctors and pharmacies rely on to identify patients at risk of opioid addiction may be doing more harm than good. AI has flagged the wrong people while missing thousands who genuinely need help.

A landmark new study found that AI-powered opioid risk scoring systems produce false positives at an alarming rate. The report raises urgent questions for patients, providers and anyone affected by the opioid epidemic.

Opioid Addiction Risk Tools are Failing Patients

Artificial intelligence tools like NarxCare and Epic scan electronic health records and prescription drug databases to generate Opioid Risk Scores (ORS) for patients. The AI shares these results with healthcare providers so that they can flag those considered at risk of opioid misuse or overdose. Patients flagged as high risk may be denied opioid prescriptions or dropped from care entirely. 

But this new study suggests that using opioid risk scores to predict patient behavior has major flaws. The study indicated that the system produced unacceptably high rates of false positives.

For the millions of Americans living with opioid addiction or managing chronic pain with prescription opioids, that’s not an abstract research finding. It can mean being cut off from legitimate medication, labeled a drug-seeker, or pushed out of the healthcare system entirely. All these scenarios can paradoxically increase overdose risk.

The Opioid Crisis

The study examined Epic’s opioid risk scores for 700,000+ American patients treated by primary care providers. Epic scored 99.6% as low risk, with only 0.4% flagged as high risk.

The accuracy gap between those two groups is stark. Of the 2,665 patients classified as high risk, only 185 received an overdose or opioid use disorder diagnosis. This indicates that Epic’s scoring system was accurate only 7% of the time. Conversely, it produced a false positive rate of 92.2%.

Lead researcher Dr. Stephanie Hooker of the HealthPartners Institute wrote that the tool’s misclassification rate “could undermine its external validity, leading to misallocated resources and missed interventions.”

The low-risk category isn’t clean either. Of the 2,362 patients who ultimately experienced an overdose or opioid use disorder diagnosis, Epic’s system had flagged only 185 as high risk. The numbers suggest more than 2,000 patients were incorrectly labeled as low risk.

The Problem’s Core

The tools aren’t just inaccurate. They might measure the wrong things entirely. Pain management expert Dr. Lynn Webster is a Senior Fellow at the Center for U.S. Policy and explains it’s a mistake to count diagnoses and overdoses in the same predictive model because they’re distinct events. Someone can overdose without having a diagnosis and vice versa.

“Opioid risk tools will always struggle to predict overdose death risk because overdoses can occur in patients who have no opioid use disorder and no aberrant drug-related behavior,” Webster relayed. “Some patients overdose even when they take their medications exactly as prescribed.”

The stakes are high because these systems are everywhere. Epic’s MyChart software has already collected data on 190 million patients. Major pharmacies like CVS and WalMart use NarxCare for their customers.

Flawed Scoring Deepens the Opioid Epidemic

Inaccurate risk tools may actively worsen the opioid epidemic by pushing people toward unregulated street drugs like heroin. When patients with legitimate opioid addiction or pain conditions are denied prescriptions or abandoned by their doctors, some turn to the illicit market, where new synthetic drugs like orphines have made overdose deaths much more likely.

Webster warns that both NarxCare and Epic scores “can be harmful if used punitively.” The overestimated risk can lead to forced tapering, patient abandonment that “paradoxically increase overdose risk.” Once a risk label enters a patient’s chart, “it can take on a false authority that changes how patients are treated.” 

For families navigating the opioid crisis, this means a loved one with a narcotic addiction could be quietly flagged, stigmatized, and shut out of care, with no way to appeal an algorithm’s judgment.

Opioid Use Disorder and Overdose Risk

Opioid use disorder is a chronic condition characterized by compulsive opioid use despite harmful consequences. It encompasses addiction to prescription opioids and illicit fentanyl, the latter is responsible for the majority of U.S. overdose deaths. 

Naloxone (Narcan) can reverse an opioid overdose when administered quickly and is available without a prescription in most states. Still, experts warn that naloxone might not be enough to reverse overdoses caused by polysubstance abuse, which consists of two or more opioids mixed together.

Harm Reduction & Treatment Options

Knowing the difference between physical dependence, addiction, and overdose risk is critical But AI tools appear to blur all three.

Even if AI has a long way to go, that doesn’t mean you should sit on the sidelines. Whether or not a risk tool has flagged you, effective opioid addiction treatment is available. Evidence-based options include:

• Medication-assisted treatment (MAT): Medications like buprenorphine and methadone are FDA-approved for opioid use disorder and significantly reduce overdose risk. 

• Naloxone/Narcan: Anyone at risk of opioid overdose should have naloxone on hand. Many pharmacies now carry it without a prescription, and many health departments distribute it for free.

• Fentanyl test strips: Because fentanyl contamination in the illicit drug supply is widespread, fentanyl test strips are a critical harm reduction tool. Check with your local health department for free distribution programs.

Peer support remains one of the most powerful tools in opioid addiction recovery. Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings are free, widely available, and welcoming to anyone struggling with narcotic addiction.

AI is new and can assist clinicians, but fellowship with peers is tangible, real, and lasts a lifetime. Call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) or browse our directory to find NA chapters anywhere in the U.S.

Officials have uncovered a new synthetic opioid stronger than fentanyl spreading through the illicit drug supply and killing people before many communities even know it exists. The opioid crisis now has a new front-line threat: cychlorphine, a powerful synthetic orphine. Federal officials now sound the alarm for the first time with an emergency drug threat notice.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) issued its first official Drug Threat Notice to warn law enforcement, public health officials, and medical providers about the spread of cychlorphine. Cychlorphine is linked to at least 55 deaths nationwide between 2025 and 2026. For anyone with opioid addiction or for families worried about a loved one, this is a development that demands immediate attention.

The Opioid Crisis Thus Far

Cychlorphine’s formal name is N-Propionitrile Chlorphine and has been detected in the illicit drug supply across 10 states, with the highest concentrations reported in Ohio, Texas, and Tennessee. The Knox County Regional Forensic Center in Tennessee linked the substance to at least 41 fatalities between July 2025 and February 2026 alone.

Those numbers, while devastating, almost certainly undercount the true toll, given cychlorphine’s near-invisibility in standard screening.

Cychlorphine is More Dangerous Than Fentanyl

ONDCP warned that cychlorphine has up to 10x the potency than fentanyl, and overdoses may require multiple doses of naloxone to reverse. Officials also noted the drug is especially difficult to detect because it doesn’t appear on common test strips or hospital opioid urine screenings.

That last detail is critical for anyone in recovery or anyone who uses fentanyl test strips as a harm reduction measure: those strips will not detect cychlorphine. This is a fundamental shift in the opioid crisis landscape that affects not just people actively using substances, but emergency responders, family members carrying naloxone, and treatment providers.

Officials have found cychlorphine mixed with fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, bromazolam, and other illicit substances in addition to pure samples. The opioid belongs to a class of synthetic orphines that include brorphine, chlorphine and spirochlorphine.

Synthetic Opioids and Overdose Risk

Synthetic opioids are man-made substances designed to mimic the effects of naturally derived opioids like heroin or morphine but are engineered to be far more potent. Fentanyl has long been the dominant driver of overdose deaths in the United States and is itself a synthetic opioid roughly 100x more potent than morphine.

The emergence of cychlorphine doesn’t mean fentanyl has receded. In fact, cychlorphine has been found mixed with fentanyl and even vapes. A person who believes they’re using one substance may unknowingly encounter two deadly synthetic opioids simultaneously. Poly-drug combos dramatically increase overdose lethality and complicate emergency response.

ONDCP urged EMS personnel, clinicians, law enforcement and the public to be aware of the drug’s growing presence, prepare for more severe overdose responses and seek immediate medical care in suspected overdose cases.

The White House’s Response

The warning comes just weeks after ONDCP released the 2026 National Drug Control Strategy. This sweeping federal roadmap will disrupt illicit drug trafficking, target transnational criminal organizations and improve detection of emerging synthetic drug threats. Released May 4 by ONDCP Director Sara Carter, the strategy calls for expanded advanced technology to identify evolving drug threats. The program will increase intelligence-driven interdictions of precursor chemicals and nationwide wastewater testing to provide near real-time data on illegal drug trends.

The new Drug Threat Notices can at least inform communities and frontline responders about emerging substances before they become more widespread.

Harm Reduction and Treatment for Opioid Addiction

If you or someone you love has a narcotic addiction, don’t wait and see. The opioid crisis has evolved faster than individual awareness, and professional treatment saves lives.

• Naloxone / Narcan: Given that cychlorphine may require multiple doses, anyone at risk or near someone at risk should carry naloxone and know how to administer doses while calling 911. Narcan nasal spray is available without a prescription, and many local health departments distribute it for free.

• Medication-assisted treatment (MAT): Evidence-based opioid addiction treatment, including buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone, dramatically reduces overdose death risk.

• Narcotics Anonymous (NA) Meetings: Peer support through Narcotics Anonymous is a proven component of long-term recovery from narcotic addiction. NA meetings exist in nearly every city and town in the country, in-person and online.

Locate Narcotics Anonymous meetings in any location across the country. Peer support and community resources comprise an effective first and lasting step to overcoming substance use disorders. Search our directory or call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to find options in multiple formats

The fentanyl crisis just got more dangerous. A new federal advisory warns that fentanyl, the leading driver of overdose deaths in the United States, is increasingly being cut with a new class of synthetic substances that can overwhelm standard overdose reversal treatments.

For anyone struggling with opioid addiction, or anyone who loves them, this is a life-or-death update.

The Opioid Crisis by the Numbers

The opioid epidemic has claimed more than 500,000 American lives over the past two decades, and fentanyl has been central to that toll for years.

Now, the DEA is warning that the illicit drug supply is becoming even more unpredictable as new synthetic compounds enter the market alongside fentanyl.

Public health officials and law enforcement agencies are increasingly encountering fentanyl mixed with powerful substances such as xylazine, medetomidine, nitazenes, and cychlorphine.

Many of these compounds are not approved for human use and are often impossible for users to detect. Since 2020, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has identified 22 unique nitazene compounds, 21 of which are now classified as Schedule I controlled substances.

That rapid proliferation signals how quickly the illicit opioid supply is evolving, and how hard it is for users, families, and first responders to keep up.

What Is Driving the Fentanyl Contamination Trend

The drivers behind these new mixtures are both chemical and criminal. New nitazenes tend to be introduced when regulatory actions, enforcement, and drug scheduling put pressure on existing analogues, meaning that as authorities crack down on one synthetic opioid, traffickers pivot to the next. It is a cycle that has defined the opioid crisis for years, and it is accelerating.

Xylazine and medetomidine are veterinary sedatives used to sedate animals, while nitazenes and cychlorphine are potent, unregulated synthetic opioids.

None of these substances were designed for human consumption. None carry dosing guidance. And none appear visibly different when mixed into a pill or powder.

These substances are frequently mixed into counterfeit pills or fentanyl powder without the user’s knowledge. For someone managing narcotic addiction in an active use environment, there is often no way to know what is in a substance before taking it.

Fentanyl’s Role in the Evolving Drug Supply

Fentanyl remains the anchor of the overdose crisis, but it is now a delivery vehicle for an ever-changing cocktail of synthetic drugs. These emerging synthetic drugs can be significantly more powerful than fentanyl and greatly increase the risk of a fatal overdose.

That potency matters enormously for anyone carrying naloxone (Narcan), the medication that reverses opioid overdoses and has saved countless lives.

Drugs like xylazine and medetomidine are not opioids, meaning naloxone may not fully reverse their effects, complicating overdose response. Other synthetics, such as nitazenes and cychlorphine, might require several doses of naloxone to be effective.

In practical terms: naloxone is still essential and should always be used, but a single dose may no longer be enough, and calling 911 immediately is critical.

Understanding the Overdose Risk

Opioid addiction involves physical dependence on substances that act on the brain’s opioid receptors, causing slowed breathing that can become fatal during an overdose. Fentanyl is roughly 100 times more potent than morphine.

The new synthetic compounds now appearing alongside fentanyl in the illicit drug supply can be even more potent, and some, like xylazine, cause additional harm that naloxone cannot address.

Xylazine has been linked to devastating soft tissue damage, infections, and prolonged sedation, while other synthetics can cause rapid respiratory depression and death.

Harm Reduction and Treatment Options

The DEA’s advisory reinforces several harm reduction principles that can save lives right now:

Carry naloxone. Given that some synthetics require multiple administrations, having two or more doses on hand is now a practical necessity. Narcan nasal spray is available without a prescription at most pharmacies and through community distribution programs.

Use fentanyl test strips. While they cannot detect every adulterant, fentanyl test strips are a critical harm reduction tool for identifying contaminated substances before use.

Never use alone. A witness who can call 911 and administer naloxone is your best chance of surviving an overdose involving these new synthetic combinations.

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) works. Buprenorphine (Suboxone) and methadone are FDA-approved treatments for opioid addiction that dramatically reduce overdose risk. A provider can connect you with options in your area.

NA meetings offer peer support. Narcotics Anonymous provides free, community-based recovery support for people struggling with opioid abuse and narcotic addiction. Meetings are available in person and online every day.

Finding Help for Opioid Addiction

If you or someone you love is struggling with opioid addiction or narcotic addiction, help is available right now. Search narcotics.com’s directory to find NA meetings near you. You can also call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to speak with a treatment advisor.