Hayden Panettiere’s death highlights increased risk of fatal overdose immediately after period of sobriety
Por Laura Ungar — – World RSS Feed
Hayden Panettiere’s death highlights increased risk of fatal overdose immediately after period of sobriety
Hayden Panettiere had been in rehab just weeks before she died from an accidental drug overdose
Laura Ungar Wednesday 23 September 2026 21:52 BST
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Actor Hayden Panettiere spent time in a rehabilitation facility weeks prior to dying from an accidental drug overdose, according to a coroner’s report.
While specific details of her care remain unknown, people struggling with drug addiction face a heightened risk of a fatal overdose right after a period of sobriety. Medical experts note that physical tolerance drops during abstinence, meaning a dose previously tolerated could overwhelm the body.
Panettiere, 36, was discovered unresponsive inside a Greenville, South Carolina apartment on Aug. 16. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said that multiple substances were detected in her system, including fentanyl, its chemical byproduct, the anti-anxiety drug alprazolam, a muscle relaxer, and a medication used to treat major depression alongside other serious mental health disorders. A case file notes that a senior deputy learned she had spent two or three weeks at a facility in Malibu, California.
Provisional government statistics published in May show roughly 70,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, marking a 14% decrease compared with the prior year.
How opioid addiction can be treated
For people struggling with addictions, there are various types of care, including therapy and counseling, medication and support groups.
open image in galleryWith addictions to fentanyl, heroin, oxycodone and other opioids, treatment may include medications and behavioral therapy. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says medications are the standard of care for opioid use disorder. Treatment options include methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone, which research shows can reduce the risk of resumed drug use and a fatal overdose. Behavioral therapy for opioid use disorder is most effective when combined with medication, the institute says.
Using drugs after stopping them can be deadly
Using opioids again after withdrawal can be especially dangerous.
According to the National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus, most opioid overdose deaths occur in people who have just undergone detoxification. Because withdrawal reduces the person’s tolerance, those who have just gone through withdrawal can overdose on a much smaller dose than they previously took.
This risk has long been known. A 2003 study in the British Medical Journal said “treatment reduces mortality but can sometimes increase mortality transiently,” including among people with prior opioid addiction after their release from prison.
Experts at Pennsylvania State University’s Social Science Research Institute said the risk of overdose death is higher immediately after opioid use disorder treatment, including after detox and stopping medication for the disorder.
They cited research showing that the month after completing treatment is associated with a much higher risk — five times higher for ending treatment without medications and two times higher after ending medication treatment. That’s compared to periods more than a month after ending treatment.
What friends and family can do to reduce risk of overdose death
The first thing to know is that someone who recently stopped using drugs is at higher risk for an overdose if they relapse. Be ready to respond if that happens.
Death following opioid overdose can be prevented if the person gets prompt basic life support and the medication naloxone, an antidote that rapidly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose if administered in time.
The New York State Department of Health recommends taking these steps if someone witnesses an overdose:
1. Call 911 and say, “I think someone may have overdosed.”
2. If the person isn’t breathing, begin mouth-to-mouth breathing by pinching the nose and blowing into the mouth
3. Administer naloxone if available.
4. Place the person on their side once they have resumed breathing
5. Stay with the person until the ambulance arrives
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