DATA PAGE

 

Using Google Trends I compared the search frequencies of the terms “drug withdrawal”, “opioid”, and “overdose” from the beginning of Google’s search engine, 2004, to present. I noticed a steady increase in the searches for “drug withdrawal” and “overdose”. However, there is sharp increase in searches for “opioid” starting December 2015. The frequency of the searches rapidly increases after that, compared to the gradual increase of “Drug withdrawal” and “overdose”.

The spike in “opioid” searches in December 2015 may attribute to the CDC’s warning that primary-care physicians should stop prescribing opioids to it’s patients, as, the risks are addiction and the benefits remain unproven. The spike in searches does not imply that more and more people are getting hooked on opioids, but it does signal that the general public is becoming more aware of the rising crisis. (Washington Post)  

In July 2018, there was a spike in searches related to the term “overdose”. This was because popular celebrity, Demi Lovato, had overdosed on heroin. While this may not directly relate to the national opioid crisis, it does bring more visibility towards the cause.

It’s no secret that methamphetamine became one of the most commonly abused drugs in the 2000s. With a lower street price and a more intense high, meth rapidly surpassed cocaine as it swept across middle America. At the height of the meth epidemic in 2005–2006, it was the single most-searched drug in dozens of states.

Around the time meth became the subject of greater law enforcement attention and crackdowns, Adderall, a prescription stimulant, increasingly became a substance of abuse.4 Searches for the anxiety medication Xanax have also risen throughout the Midwest and South, at the same time that Xanax-related ER visits have doubled over six years.

National trends in drug searches likewise reflect trends in illicit drug usage and popularity. After its 2005–2006 peak, interest in meth has once again soared as the drug continues to infiltrate American communities. And as addictive prescription painkillers have become more tightly regulated, heroin has become an increasingly popular substitute. (Opioid Overdose Crisis)

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