Drug overdoses in Arizona are still climbing.

Twice as many overdoses were reported in the last four months of 2018 as compared to the same period the year before, according to preliminary numbers from the Arizona Department of Health Services.  

A total of 1,375 people are believed to have died from overdoses last year — the vast majority of them in Maricopa County.  

More than half of overdoses in Arizona now involve multiple drugs such as meth and heroin.

Meanwhile, the number of opioid prescriptions and the average dose continue to decline in the state. That comes more than a year after state lawmakers passed legislation placing new limits on physicians’ ability to prescribe opioids.

As part of its response to the overdose crisis, Gov. Doug Ducey’s administration has also launched two media campaigns — one aimed at preventing teens from starting opioids and the other to help patients manage chronic pain without opioids.