What were the three waves of the opioid epidemic in the US?

What were the three waves of the opioid epidemic in the US?

• A. Wave 1: Rise in heroin overdose deaths; Wave 2: Rise in prescription opioid deaths; Wave 3: Rise in synthetic opioid overdose deaths
• B. Wave 1: Rise in heroin overdose deaths; Wave 2: Rise in synthetic opioid overdose deaths; Wave 3: Rise in prescription opioid deaths
• C. Wave 1: Rise in prescription opioid deaths; Wave 2: Rise in heroin overdose deaths; Wave 3: Rise in synthetic opioid overdose deaths
• D. Wave 1: Rise in synthetic opioid overdose deaths; Wave 2: Rise in prescription opioid deaths; Wave 3: Rise in heroin overdose deaths

Answer: (D)

The waves describe how overdose deaths shifted among opioids over time. The first wave centers on prescription opioid overdoses that rose in the late 1990s and into the 2000s, driven by widespread opioid prescribing. As some people who misused these medications sought alternatives, a second wave emerged with rising heroin overdose deaths in the early-to-mid 2010s. Then a third wave began around 2013, driven by synthetic opioids like fentanyl and its analogs, leading to a sharp increase in deaths often involving fentanyl found in illicit products. So the sequence is prescription opioids first, then heroin, then synthetic opioids. Starting with synthetic opioids first does not fit this historical progression.

The waves describe how overdose deaths shifted among opioids over time. The first wave centers on prescription opioid overdoses that rose in the late 1990s and into the 2000s, driven by widespread opioid prescribing. As some people who misused these medications sought alternatives, a second wave emerged with rising heroin overdose deaths in the early-to-mid 2010s. Then a third wave began around 2013, driven by synthetic opioids like fentanyl and its analogs, leading to a sharp increase in deaths often involving fentanyl found in illicit products. So the sequence is prescription opioids first, then heroin, then synthetic opioids. Starting with synthetic opioids first does not fit this historical progression.