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@article{195814,
        author = {Iniobong George and Daniel Chinonso, Ochor},
        title = {Clinical Profiles of Synthetic Opioid and Psychostimulant Co-use: A Comparative Analysis of Emerging Trends in Akwa Ibom State and the United States},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {11},
        pages = {3264-3272},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=195814},
        abstract = {Contemporary drug crisis has been inclined more towards polysubstance use, which refers to simultaneous or consecutive intake of various psychoactive drugs, and this has become a great challenge to clinical management and the global health of people. This paper presents comparative research of synthetic opioid and psychostimulant co-use in the United States and Nigeria, especially in the Akwa Ibom State. The fourth wave of the opioid epidemic in the United States has been defined by illicitly prepared fentanyl as dominant and the frequent use of this drug in combination with stimulants, including methamphetamine and cocaine. This accidental exposure has added to unprecedented overdose deaths, precipitated by respiratory depression and complicated polysubstance toxications. Nigeria, on the contrary, has a converging but discrete trend of deliberate poly-drug use, which is taking place in tramadol, methamphetamine, benzodiazepines, and synthetic cannabinoids locally referred to as Colorado. The clinical manifestation in this case is a clinical neuropsychiatric morbidity, which entails acute psychosis, hallucinations, seizures, and dependence syndromes, relatively less fatal, but high long-term cognitive and mental health burden. The analysis is based on the use of epidemiological data, local clinical reports, and peer-reviewed sources to assess variation in the supply of the substances, use, neuropharmacological reactions, and socio-cultural motivators. The main results show that U.S. trends are supply-led, and contamination and unintentional co-use intensify the risk of an overdose, whereas Nigerian trends are user led which is mostly driven by functional or productivity related goals. Such differences have far-reaching implications on clinical practice and on the interventions of public health. Harm reduction measures, such as the provision of naloxone, drug checking services, and polysubstance use treatment are vital in the United States. The priorities in Nigeria are to intensify the mental health sector, control the pharmaceutical opioids, apply culturally modified harm reduction approaches, and participate in special public health education campaigns. The current comparative view highlights the need to have context-specific approaches to reduce the health burden of polysubstance use, which can inform both high-income and low- and middle-income nations facing the global opioid-stimulant co-use crisis.},
        keywords = {Polysubstance use, synthetic opioids, stimulants, fentanyl, tramadol, synthetic cannabinoids, Nigeria, United States, clinical implications},
        month = {April},
        }