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Last updated on Thursday, December 13, 2018
(UNDATED) - According to the National Vital Statistics Report released by the CDC on Wednesday, oxycodone was responsible for the most overdose deaths in the country in 2011. Then from 2012 to 2015, it was heroin. Now, the newly released numbers from 2016 show fentanyl took the top spot, claiming more than 18,000 lives.
According to the study, in 2011 fentanyl claimed just over 1,600 American lives. By 2015, that number was more than 8,000. In 2016, it was more than 18,000.
Experts say fentanyl is being mixed in with a lot of other drugs, like heroin, meth, and even cocaine, often to unsuspecting customers.
While the reported numbers have skyrocketed, the drug is claiming even more victims every year due to underreporting.
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