The CDC reports psychostimulants surpassed opioids as the leading cause of overdose deaths in Iowa in 2024 and have remained there.
Iowa Health and Human Services says the majority of those deaths involve methamphetamine. Susan Vileta of the Johnson County Public Health Department says it’s not surprising as stimulant overdoses there had been higher than opioid overdoses from 2020 to 2023. She tells KCRG TV public health efforts have focused on cutting back opioid use for years, due in part to settlement money from pharmaceutical companies that produced opioids.
Johnson County used the settlement money to install vending machines stocked with free Narcan. “Ours went out at the end of August and I think we’ve given out 600 boxes of Narcan,” Vileta says. “We wish that there were kind of like a drug for Narcan that works for meth and stimulant overdoses, there’s no such thing.”
Travis Ocken with the Drug Enforcement Administration tells KCRG TV that the amount of methamphetamine brought into Iowa fluctuates each year. “In 2025, we saw a 54% increase in methamphetamine seizures,” he said. Ocken said the meth currently being seized is extremely pure, making it more addictive. “These are very deadly drugs or have the potential to be very deadly and again, using them one time could mean you are addictive for the rest of your life,” Ocken said.
Iowa HHS is warning doctors about the increase in stimulant overdoses and is asking them to be prepared to recognize symptoms, including increased heart rate and overheating.
