The state-run Shargh newspaper reported an increase in the misuse of psychiatric medications in Iran, noting that such drugs can be obtained in Naser Khosrow—Tehran’s black-market drug hub—“in less than ten minutes.”
The November 17 report stated: “A walk through Naser Khosrow shows that in less than ten minutes, one can access various psychiatric drugs: Vyvanse, Ritalin, Diazepam, Zolpidem, Midazolam, and dozens more, sold at unbelievable prices—ranging from 2 to 5 million rials per blister pack.”
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The report was based on interviews with drug users, psychiatrists, nurses in major Tehran hospital toxicology wards, and pharmacy owners.
A nurse told Shargh: “Almost no shift ends without at least one patient coming in due to psychiatric drug misuse.”
An unnamed psychiatrist said there is no updated data on drug misuse and addiction in Iran.
He told Shargh: “Drugs used for psychological disorders—like Vyvanse, which falls under amphetamines—are prone to misuse.”
Getting high on medication
One user, not yet in his twenties, said in an interview that he has seen the many consequences of misuse among his friends and has “lived through it.”
He explained that “every once in a while, the drugs people use become more varied,” noting that some medications intended for cancer patients are used by certain youth because they cause “a pleasant kind of high.”
He also pointed to the rising use of sedatives among teenagers and young adults, adding that the main problem is that the drugs initially make the user feel better, but as the body adapts, their effect fades, the person’s mental state worsens, and they “make sudden dangerous decisions.”
He emphasized that doctors “prescribe these drugs easily.”
In recent years, multiple reports have highlighted the rising prevalence of mental health disorders in Iran.
Official data shows that about 25% to 30% of the population suffers from some form of mental disorder, while chronic economic and social pressures have pushed the country’s collective mental health into a warning state.
Experts cite factors such as social restrictions and pressures, crippling economic sanctions, political instability, and even war as contributors to this situation.
In addition, suicide attempts in Iran have risen significantly in recent years.
