Deaths Related to Prescription Drug Overdoses Decrease Overall in 2018
Decatur, GA (January 24, 2020) – An analysis of autopsies performed by the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office in 152 counties in which drug overdose was the cause of death or significant contributing factor in the death has been completed. The analysis revealed prescription drug overdose deaths in 2018 were lower than the previous three years while the overdose deaths attributed to illicit drugs were higher than they have been during the same period.
Note: These statistics do NOT include autopsies performed by medical examiners in Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, or Rockdale counties.
Of the 861 drug overdose deaths in 2018, there were 303 deaths which involved prescription drugs only. The analysis also showed that 441 drug overdose deaths in 2018 involved illicit drugs only and 115 deaths are attributed to both prescription and illicit drugs.
| Deaths from: | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Rx Only | 441 | 405 | 349 | 303 |
| Illicit Only | 219 | 271 | 383 | 441 |
| Combination of Rx and Illicit | 84 | 101 | 130 | 115 |
| OTC | – | – | 1 | 2 |
| Total Deaths | 774 | 777 | 863 | 861 |
For overdose drug deaths in 2018, the drugs found through toxicology tests in the highest numbers were as follows:
| Drug: | |
| Methamphetamine | 304 |
| Cocaine | 144 |
| Fentanyl/Analogues | 138 |
| Oxycodone | 136 |
| Alprazolam | 129 |
| Heroin | 124 |
| Gabapentin | 99 |
| Methadone | 70 |
| Morphine | 60 |
| Diphenhydramine | 58 |
For all the drug deaths, the number per age range for 2018 were as follows:
| Age | Number of Deaths |
| <15 | 5 |
| 15-24 | 45 |
| 25-34 | 177 |
| 35-44 | 206 |
| 45-54 | 208 |
| 55-64 | 163 |
| >64 | 54 |
| Unreported | 3 |
A breakdown by race and sex for 2018 for all drug overdose deaths follows:
| Race | Number of Deaths | Percentage |
| White | 720 | 83.62% |
| Black | 125 | 14.52% |
| Hispanic | 13 | 1.51% |
| Asian | 2 | 0.02% |
| Gender | Number of Deaths | Percentage |
| Male | 512 | 59.46% |
| Female | 349 | 40.53% |
A breakdown on the manner of death for 2018 drug overdose deaths follows:
| Manner of Death | Number of Deaths | Percentage |
| Accidental | 777 | 90.24% |
| Suicide | 72 | 8.36% |
| Undetermined | 12 | 1.39% |