Failed by the system, people are turning to the dark web for prescription drugs
I’ve been researching the darknet drug markets for several years now. The markets are notorious for selling any drug imaginable and often a host of other services including stolen data, hacked accounts and even sometimes weapons.
Mostly I stay out of the recreational drugs legalisation debate, but there is also the area of the ‘grey’ markets for prescription medications to consider. Typically one hears stories about the atrocious state of the US healthcare system, there are far fewer stories from the United Kingdom where the NHS is typically trusted and well funded.
Via Reddit, I interviewed ‘Dave’, who told his story how he turned to purchasing the popular fatigue-reducer armodafinil off the darknet to deal with his debilitating insomnia-induced chronic fatigue syndrome. Dave is 27 years old, lives in the UK and is currently on disability support for his chronic insomnia.
When I was a teenager I had untreated chronic insomnia. I can literally go 4–5 days without sleeping. My life was a disaster. I had no energy. When I first started seeing the shrink around 2007, the shrink prescribed me some medication. Nothing really worked and the shrink would often reduce the medication anyway, which was infuriating.
One day I had enough and I told the shrink that if she didn’t prescribe anything then I’d go online to get something. She prescribed me quetiapine and its worked like a charm ever since. I no longer lie down in my bed with my eyes closed, frustrated. I could actually sleep.
At first, Dave was able to coax a prescription by mentioning the possibility of self medication. But the situation didn’t last:
The only downside is that chronic insomnia isn’t really about how much sleep you get. I can sleep 10hrs a day and still wake up exhausted and tired. I avoided going to the psychiatrist ever since then because I didn’t want the shrink to take me off quetiapine. My fears were justified because when I went to the shrink a month ago, fed up of being tired all the time, she actually reduced it and told me to “drink some coffee”.
Dave had an existing awareness of the online drug scene with melatonin and some recreational drugs since as early as 2007, and of the Tor drug markets since 2013 , he believed access to armodafinil was what he need.
I simply googled “deep web links”, the first result gave me a list with Dream Market as number 11…..the site is called darkwebnews.com
Without a doubt the biggest concern I had was what I am actually buying so reputation meant much more than price. The seller seems to have a really good score (4.94/5) so I think there’s a good chance that its fine. That’s the great thing about the dark web. There’s feedback. You don’t get that with a seller on the street — not that I would find one that sells armodafinil.
Dave paid £45 for a month’s supply of armodafinil in cryptocurrency, which we can assume has arrived by now in the post, he’s optimistic it’ll help turn around his life.
The decision to turn to utilise an illegal site was supported by his father out of the serious concern for his son’s health. Despite the ordeal, he remains supportive of the NHS, especially the support it has provided to his family.
My advice is probably save up some money and go private. Get a shrink that will prescribe you meds. Remember, there is only so far you can go with diet and exercise believe me. Medication can make the world of difference. My life is far better now than in 2005 when I couldn’t sleep at all and its thanks to medication.
Like most users of the drug markets, Dave speculates whether a more liberal and refined dispensing policy within the NHS as well as general drug legalisation action would have avoided the whole affair.
Dave’s story is by far from unique, though it must be emphasised that most drug users of the markets will be buying recreational drugs such as as cannabis and cocaine, though an unlucky few may risk deadly run-ins with powerful opiates such as fentanyl.
It remains to be proven whether exposure to the darknet markets could have a desensitising effect to the breadth and depth of criminality that takes place there, but we know for certain that law enforcement organisations do not identify or intercept the vast majority of buyers and sellers.
With the NHS already struggling with overtly legal and grey markets for prescription drugs, it would be interesting to know what their strategy is avoid people falling into Dave’s situation in the future. If you’re aware of the relevant NHS policy or have any other thoughts about this story, please get in touch confidentially.
