Men are significantly more at risk of death from overdoses involving opioids and psychostimulants than women.
- Men are at a significantly higher risk than women of dying from an overdose.
- Men have 2-3 times higher overdose death rates for opioids (such as fentanyl and heroin) and psychostimulants (such as methamphetamine and cocaine).
- Although men are known to use drugs more frequently than women, the study points out that this disparity alone does not explain the difference found in overdose deaths.
According a new study conducted in the United States and published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacologymen were significantly more at risk of overdose death than women in 2020 and 2021.
According to data from this research, men had two to three times higher overdose death rates than women for opioids (like fentanyl and heroin) and psychostimulants (like methamphetamine and cocaine). While men generally use more drugs than women, this difference alone cannot explain their significantly higher mortality levels.
Biological, behavioral and social factors
What is the difference in overdose mortality between the sexes due to? According to the researchers, it would be a combination of biological, behavioral and social factors that would probably contribute to the increased risk of mortality in men. At the biological level, for example, men may be more vulnerable to drug toxicity than women.
At the behavioral level, men may also engage in riskier drug use behaviors than women, such as injecting alone or using unreliable suppliers. “It may also be that there are protective factors in women that reduce their risk of death compared to men,” said Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and author of the research.
Men prefer to use drugs alone
Another lesson of the study: although men and women use drugs for similar reasons, certain behaviors differ according to gender.
Women thus more often tend to use drugs with their partner or during social events. Men, on the other hand, prefer to consume alone or with close friends. Women also more frequently seek help in the event of an overdose, unlike men who often fear being stigmatized or losing their jobs.
Develop targeted prevention strategies
The results of this study highlight the importance of understanding the reasons for this gender difference in overdose mortality to develop more effective interventions and prevention strategies targeted at the most vulnerable male populations.
“Understanding the biological, behavioral and social factors that influence drug use is also essential to developing appropriate tools to protect people from fatal overdoses and other harmful effects of drug use,” concludes Nora Volkow.
