The Vermont Department of Health says there has been an increase in overdose deaths in the state for the third consecutive year.
The 2022 data report finds that accidental opioid deaths increased by 10 percent to 239 over 2021’s total of 217 deaths. In 2020, 158 people died from opioid related overdoses.
Multiple substances in overdoses also increased with fentanyl involved in 93 percent of the fatalities. The Health Department reports that a muscle relaxant called gabapentin and the veterinary drug xylazine contributed to overdoses at double digit rates and may not respond to the overdose reversal medication naloxone.