Highlights
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- Opioids are a class of drugs that include synthetic opioids such as fentanyl; pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone (OxyContin®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), codeine, morphine; the illegal drug heroin; and many others.
- Use of opioids, either by themselves or in combination with other drugs, is a major driver of the drug overdose crisis in the United States. The vast majority of overdose deaths in recent years involved illicitly manufactured fentanyl and other potent, synthetic opioids, which may be added to other drugs and consumed unknowingly.
- NIDA plays a leading role in the National Institutes of Health HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term®) Initiative, an effort to develop new scientific solutions to the national opioid addiction and overdose public health crisis and to improve pain management.
Latest from NIDA
Reported drug use among adolescents continued to hold below pre-pandemic levels in 2023
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New data show relatively low use of illicit substances, and yet overdose death rates among teens have risen
Overdose deaths increased in pregnant and postpartum women from early 2018 to late 2021
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Among those aged 35 to 44, overdose mortality more than tripled during this period, NIH study reports
Researchers identify brain network that is uniquely activated through injection vs. oral drug use
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NIH study suggests the brain’s “salience network” is important for understanding SUD, possible therapeutic target
Multimedia
Find More Resources on Opioids
- Learn more about overdose prevention from the Department of Health and Human Services.
- Learn about opioid use during pregnancy from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- See the latest news from the NIDA-supported National Drug Early Warning System, which seeks to detect new and emerging substance use patterns to prevent related threats to public health.