Which group of women is most at risk?
Every day, 91 Americans die from opioid overdose. In Iowa, opioids are impacting women age 45-64 at an ever increasing rate. Why? In part, because they don't even know it. Women in this age group are more likely to have physical conditions for which opioids are prescribed, yet they don’t know about the severe risks of opioid misuse.
Between 1999 and 2015, the national rate of deaths from prescription opioid overdoses increased 471 percent among women, compared to an increase of 218 percent among men; heroin deaths among women increased at more than twice the rate of men1.
Iowa HHS has compiled information to help you understand what opioids are, how they work, and risks to be aware of. If you’re already experiencing problems with your use of opioids, we have treatment options available.
- Iowa HHS - Substance Use Disorder and Problem Gambling Treatment
- Iowa HHS - Medications for Addiction Treatment (MAT)
IDPH began providing educational trainings on how to screen for opioid misuse to community services providers in August of 2017. For more information click here and select the topic "Opioids."
1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Analysis of the National Vital Statistics System Multiple Cause of Death data, Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER). 2017.