CDC Marks International Overdose Awareness Day with New Research on Benzodiazepine Overdose
August 31, 2021, marks International Overdose Awareness Day. It’s a day to remember and grieve those we’ve lost and to strengthen resolve to end overdose injuries and deaths. In 2020, over 93,000 people lost their lives to drug overdose. The fight against the drug overdose epidemic is continually evolving and benzodiazepines constitute an emerging and dangerous front. Benzodiazepines (also known as “benzos” and “downers”) are sedatives commonly prescribed to treat insomnia, anxiety and other conditions. Prescription benzodiazepines include diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax), and clonazepam (Klonopin), and illicit benzodiazepines include etizolam, flualprazolam, and flubromazolam.
It is important to use benzodiazepines only in the amount, frequency and manner prescribed. Mixing is dangerous, whether intentional or not. Learn more about benzodiazepines and opioids and the harmful effects from combining these drugs because it can increase a person’s risk of overdose and death. For more information: A Day to Remember: International Overdose Awareness Day
As a healthcare community, what can we do?
- Get educated and inform others on the dangers of improper medication use.
- Public health departments and healthcare providers can monitor trends in overdoses involving benzodiazepines and the simultaneous use of opioids to inform response efforts.
- Training public health professionals how to track and respond to incidences of polydrug overdose will help decrease the number of overdose deaths.
Visit the CDC Drug Overdose website for the latest information and resources on this growing problem.
Additional Resources
- CDC Opioids
- Opioids (Spanish)
- Stop Overdose (New!)
- Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Infographics (New!)
- DOP Strategies and Partnerships
- The CDC Opioid Guideline Mobile App is available for free on Google Play and in the Apple Store (Updates!)
- COVID-19 Information, Support and Resources: For People Who Use Drugs or Have Substance Use Disorder
- ONDCP DFC Report: Local Efforts for Preventing Youth Substance Use
- Health Alert Network (HAN) Advisory: Increase in Fatal Drug Overdoses Across the United States Driven by Synthetic Opioids Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic