The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported suspected stimulant-related emergency department visits rose from a 2025 low in participating jurisdictions, while provisional national overdose-death estimates fell.
The quarterly rate reached 2.7 per 10,000 ED visits in April-June 2026, compared with 2.4 in January-March 2025. It remained below 2.8 in April-June 2025 and 3.6 in April-June 2023, CDC data show.
The quarterly figures count suspected nonfatal overdose visits per 10,000 ED visits in participating jurisdictions, not all U.S. emergency departments or confirmed cases. The CDC’s DOSE-SYS system uses electronic health record information, and records may precede a diagnosis or lab result. The agency describes this as syndromic surveillance, which flags possible events from health-record signals before all diagnostic information is available. Drug categories can overlap when more than one substance is involved. These are visit rates, not population rates.
Separately, the CDC estimated 44,564 opioid-involved deaths in 2025, down from 55,296 in 2024. Deaths involving psychostimulants, including methamphetamine, were estimated at 26,181, compared with 29,852; cocaine-involved deaths fell to 19,581 from 22,397. The agency said the provisional counts may change and that overall U.S. overdose deaths declined for a third consecutive year in 2025.
The CDC’s broader “any stimulants” category includes cocaine, methamphetamine and prescription stimulants such as Adderall. The quarterly ED data and annual death estimates cover different outcomes and time periods, so movement in one series does not establish a cause for the other.
The CDC’s Stimulant Guide, an informational resource, lists overheating, a rapid heart rate, chest pain, anxiety and psychosis among possible signs of stimulant toxicity. The guide says naloxone works on opioids and does not treat stimulant toxicity, though it may help if opioid exposure is also possible. Care depends on the symptoms and may address problems such as seizures, heart complications or severe psychological effects.
