A new study has found that drug overdose deaths among Americans aged 65 and older have exploded over the past decade — largely driven by fentanyl mixed with cocaine and methamphetamine.

According to research from the American Society of Anesthesiologists, fentanyl-related deaths in seniors rose 1,470% between 2015 and 2023. Even more alarming, fentanyl deaths that involved stimulants jumped nearly 9,000% during the same period.

The findings were presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2025 annual meeting in San Antonio, using federal data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Researchers analyzed more than 400,000 death certificates where fentanyl was listed as a cause of death between 1999 and 2023. Among them, more than 17,000 were adults over 65, while nearly 388,000 were younger adults aged 25 to 64.

Older adults saw fentanyl deaths rise from 264 in 2015 to 4,144 in 2023. The researchers said this trend now mirrors the overdose rates seen in much younger groups.

The analysis also found that cocaine and methamphetamines were the most common stimulants combined with fentanyl — surpassing alcohol, heroin, and benzodiazepines as contributing factors.

“There is no quality control. Many drugs today are laced with fentanyl,” researchers warned in the report.

Gab Pasia, a medical student at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and lead author of the study, said the myth that opioid overdoses only affect the young is no longer true.

“Our analysis shows that older adults are also impacted by fentanyl-related deaths, and that stimulant involvement has become much more common in this group,” Pasia said.

“This suggests that older adults are affected by the current fourth wave of the opioid crisis, following similar patterns seen in younger populations.”

Deaths among seniors began to rise sharply around 2020 — just as fentanyl-stimulant combinations started flooding U.S. cities. The researchers identified the year 2015 as the start of what they call the “fourth wave” of the opioid epidemic.

Experts say older Americans are especially vulnerable. Many live with chronic health conditions, take multiple prescriptions, and metabolize drugs more slowly as they age.

That combination can make even small amounts of fentanyl lethal.

Study co-author Dr. Richard Wang, an anesthesiology resident at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, urged doctors to be more cautious when prescribing opioids to adults over 65.

“With these trends in mind, it is more important than ever to minimize opioid use in this vulnerable group and use other pain control methods when appropriate,” Wang said.

He added that patients and caregivers should know how to recognize signs of overdose and have reversal drugs like naloxone available.

“Proper patient education and regularly reviewing medication lists could help to flatten this terrible trend,” he said.

Dr. Larissa K. Laskowski, an emergency medicine physician and medical toxicologist at NYU Langone Health, said the findings weren’t surprising given the widespread presence of fentanyl in street drugs.

“In recent years, it has proliferated throughout the illegal drug market,” she said. “Fentanyl is regularly found in supplies of cocaine and methamphetamine.”

Laskowski emphasized that everyone — not just seniors — must understand the danger.

“Just a small amount, the equivalent of a few grains of salt, can stop breathing and cause overdose death,” she said.

“There is no quality control. Many drugs today are laced with fentanyl.”

Health officials warn that the surge shows no signs of slowing and are urging families to talk openly about the risks — especially with older relatives who may be unaware that even one pill could be their last.