Illegal drug use is very dangerous. This is most true when users have the possibility of overdosing. Heroin overdose has risen much in the US, as a study finds.

Death by heroin overdose has risen much in the US. From 2010 to 2015 death rate because of heroin overdose has quadrupled. This rate has been almost thrice the amount that was reported in 1999.

In 2015 heroin deaths totaled 12,989. That has been four times the number in 2010, when it was at only 3,036. The study has focused more on the death certificates issued and not on what actually caused the deaths.

The study has also looked at the relationship between an increased opioid use and heroin. Heroin prices have fallen over the years. Many who have been abusing opioid have switched to heroin because of its low price. That has been the observation of Rich Hamburg, executive vice-president of Trust for America's Health.

Overdose deaths from prescription drugs have fallen almost at the same time as heroin deaths have risen, according to the New York Daily News. Five years ago the number of deaths due to prescription medicine was at 29 percent. In 2015 that was down by 25 percent.

People who are most affected by the rising heroin use are what's called Generation X and the baby boomers, as Market Watch reports. Overdose deaths have risen in people ages 55 to 64. From 1999 to 2015 that has been an increase of about 10.5 percent per year.

The highest rate of heroin overdose deaths though among adults comes from those ages 45 to 54. That rate is around 30 per 100,000 people. Other studies have also reflected this rising trend among white, middle aged Americans. People with lesser education tend to become illegal drug users more often, as studies show.

Illegal drug use has never been good for people. Heroin overdose has risen much in the US in recent years. E-cigarette use is also up for smokers and those with illnesses.