Health
Teen drug overdoses hit record high, driven primarily by fentanyl poisoning, says new report
A record number of high school teens died of drug overdoses in 2022 in an alarming trend driven primarily by fentanyl poisonings from counterfeit pills, according to a new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Boston researchers found that an average of 22 adolescents ages 14 to 18 years old died each week in the U.S. from drug overdoses in 2022.
The death rate for drug overdoses among teens is more than double what it was in 2018, according to the study, which is entitled “The Overdose Crisis Among U.S. Adolescents.”
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A total of 1,125 teens died of drug overdose or poisoning in 2022, making it the third-leading cause of death for teenagers across the country – behind firearm-related injuries and motor vehicle crashes, respectively, the report said.
“Fewer teens than ever are actively using drugs, and yet more teens than ever are dying,” senior author Dr. Scott Hadland, chief of the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at MassGeneral Hospital for Children and Harvard Medical School, told Fox News.
A record number of high school teens died of drug overdoses in 2022 in an alarming trend driven primarily by fentanyl poisonings from counterfeit pills. (iStock)
“And that’s because drug use isn’t becoming more common — it’s becoming more dangerous.”
In 2002, 21% of high-school seniors said they had used an illicit drug besides cannabis in the previous year.
By 2022, that share had fallen to 8%.
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Meanwhile, at least 75% of adolescent drug overdose deaths are from fentanyl poisonings, the researchers found.
As other studies have found, those poisonings primarily occur when teens inadvertently take counterfeit pills laced with a lethal dose of the synthetic opioid.
Parents should have frank conversations with their teens about risk reduction strategies for those experimenting with drugs, the study author noted. (iStock)
“It’s really clear that the problems started to take off a little bit before COVID and then really accelerated during the COVID pandemic,” Hadland told Fox.
“Teens were isolated and they weren’t able to go to school or engage in the usual activities — and we know that health care systems became more difficult to access.”
Now, there’s no sign of this trend reversing or slowing.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized over 1.2 million fentanyl pills between two busts on Dec. 29. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
The study identified Arizona, Colorado and Washington as the hotspot states. There, adolescent drug overdose death rates were nearly twice the national average or higher between 2020 and 2022.
Hotspot counties included Maricopa County, Arizona, and Los Angeles County, California, which had the highest number of overdose deaths (117 and 111, respectively).
“If Narcan was in our home, this could have been a very different reality.”
In March 2021, 17-year-old Xavier Gerchow was playing basketball with a friend before he died of fentanyl poisoning.
When Gerchow felt sore after playing, his friend offered to split a Percocet with him. Gerchow later went to sleep at his home and never woke up.
Gerchow’s friend was rushed to the hospital and survived, but Gerchow did not.
The Percocet turned out to be a fake — it contained 99% fentanyl and 1% cocaine.
“The friend did not pass away from the pill because he had a tolerance to fentanyl,” Madison Gerchow, Xavier’s sister, told Fox. “But Xavier passed away within minutes because he had a clean system.”
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Experts recommend that parents discuss the dangers of counterfeit pills and keep over-the-counter Naloxone or Narcan – the overdose reversal medicine – readily available at home.
Research has shown that about two-thirds of teens who die of an overdose pass away in their homes.
“Often, health insurance will cover it with little to no co-pay, and I recommend that parents and teens keep this in their homes in a central location, just like you would a fire extinguisher,” Hadland suggested.
Experts recommend that parents discuss with teens the dangers of counterfeit pills and keep over-the-counter Naloxone or Narcan – the overdose reversal medicine – readily available at home. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
While the doctor recommends that parents emphasize to their teens that they should stay drug-free, he also encourages parents to have frank conversations about risk reduction strategies for those experimenting with drugs.
“We can’t use scare tactics … [or] fearmongering, because when we’re overly dramatic, it turns teens off,” Hadland noted. “Studies show that when we’re overly dramatic, teens will sometimes do the opposite of what we hope they’ll do.”
Madison Gerchow started the X Foundation in honor of her only brother, Xavier.
The foundation aims to remove the stigma surrounding fentanyl poisoning by raising awareness and providing education about the epidemic.
“I wish we had educated Xavier or ourselves and friends,” Gerchow said.
“If Narcan was in our home, this could have been a very different reality.”
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Comedian Amy Schumer, 44, has recently come clean about her struggle with Cushing’s syndrome, leading to a dramatic weight loss.
Schumer’s transformation has sparked conversation online, to which she responded in a now-deleted Instagram post that shut down speculation about cosmetic enhancements.
“I didn’t lose 30lbs — I lost 50,” she emphasized on social media, adding that she does not get Botox or filler.
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Schumer doubled down that her weight loss was not about her appearance, but about staying alive.
“Not to look hot, which does feel fun and temporary,” she said. “I did it to survive. I had a disease that makes your face extremely puffy that can kill you, but the internet caught it and that disease has cleared.”
Amy Schumer attends Variety’s 2024 Power of Women: New York event on May 2, 2024, in New York City on the left. On the right, Schumer later poses for a photo posted to Instagram after her weight loss. (Marleen Moise/WireImage; Amy Schumer/Instagram)
“Sorry for whatever feeling it’s giving you that I lost that weight,” she added. “I’ve had plastic surgery over the years and I use [Mounjaro]. Sorry to anyone they let down. I’m pain free. I can [play] tag with my son.”
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The actress also addressed her shifting hormones, saying that she’s “happy to share more if anyone has any questions about how I’m looking or feeling or where I am in my perimenopause process.”
“I didn’t lose 30lbs — I lost 50,” Schumer emphasized on social media, adding that she does not get Botox or filler. (Amy Schumer/Instagram)
What is Cushing’s syndrome?
Schumer previously revealed that she had been diagnosed with Cushing’s syndrome, a hormonal disorder that can cause extreme swelling, fatigue and potentially fatal complications.
Dr. Peter Balazs, a hormone and weight loss specialist in New Jersey, provided more details on the condition in an interview with Fox News Digital.
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“Cushing’s syndrome is caused by prolonged, high exposure to cortisol, which is your body’s main stress hormone,” he said. “Usually, the excess cortisol is a result of prolonged steroid use. We see this many times with patients who have some autoimmune disorder.”
Balazs said the “key” to Cushing’s syndrome is not just weight gain, but a “specific redistribution” of fat caused by too much cortisol.
Amy Schumer is photographed during a guest interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Feb. 13, 2024 (left), and later seen walking through midtown New York City on Oct. 28, 2025 (right). (Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images; Raymond Hall/GC Images/Getty Images)
Fat may be driven to the abdomen, chest, upper back (referred to as a “buffalo hump”) or face, sometimes considered “moon face,” the doctor said.
Cortisol also breaks down protein, which leads to a thinning in the arms and legs. “Weight gain can be tough, involuntary and hard to manage,” Balazs added.
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Cortisol stimulates “hunger centers” in the brain, raises blood sugar and promotes fat storage, especially deep belly fat, according to the doctor.
Cushing’s syndrome can also cause high blood pressure, bone loss and sometimes type 2 diabetes, per Mayo Clinic.
In addition to weight gain in certain areas, other symptoms may include pink or purple stretch marks on the stomach, hips, thighs, breasts and underarms, as well as acne, slow wound healing, and thin, frail skin that bruises easily.
With Cushing’s syndrome, fat may accumulate in the abdomen, chest, face or upper back (referred to as a “buffalo hump”). (iStock)
Women with Cushing’s syndrome often experience thick, dark hair on the face and body, as well as irregular periods. Symptoms among men can include a lower sex drive, reduced fertility and erectile dysfunction.
Mayo Clinic listed other potential symptoms, including extreme fatigue, muscle weakness, depression, anxiety, irritability, mood swings, trouble with concentration and memory, headache, sleeplessness, skin darkening and stunted growth in children.
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Those with symptoms should contact their doctor immediately, especially if they are taking steroids to treat health issues like asthma, arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease, as these medications can exacerbate the condition.
The Mayo Clinic has reported that the “sooner treatment starts, the better the chances for recovery.”
“I’ve had plastic surgery over the years and I use [Mounjaro],” Schumer stated in a social media post. (George Frey/Bloomberg)
For patients like Schumer, weight loss is typically not the main goal, Balazs noted, but it is a “critical sign” of successful treatment.
“The primary goal is to normalize your high cortisol levels,” he said. “I believe Amy Schumer got treated first for her underlying problem. Once the cortisol is normalized, which is the most important step, there’s a role to use adjunct medications to decrease weight.”
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Among GLP-1s, Mounjaro is an “excellent choice to decrease deep belly fat and increase insulin sensitivity of cells,” Balazs added.
Fox News Digital’s Stephanie Giang-Paunon contributed to this report.
Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer’s rep requesting comment.
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