A new study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2025 annual meeting in the United States shows that fatal overdoses among people aged 65 and older are increasing as rapidly as among younger populations — especially when fentanyl is combined with psychostimulants such as cocaine or methamphetamine, Medical Xpress reports.

Over the past eight years, cases of fentanyl overdoses combined with psychostimulants among older adults have increased by 9,000%.

The reasons for the increased vulnerability of older people are clear: they are more likely to live with chronic diseases, take multiple medications simultaneously, and metabolize substances more slowly.

Overall, the opioid epidemic has unfolded in four waves — from prescription opioids in the 1990s to the current wave of fentanyl and mixed overdoses that began around 2015.

“There’s a widespread misconception that overdoses primarily affect younger people. But our data show that older adults are also at serious risk,” said Gab Pasia, the study’s lead author.