Among medical narcotics, methylphenidate, a treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), showed an increase in prescription volume and the number of patients prescribed last year, especially among patients in their teens to 30s.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) released Tuesday the "Statistics on Medical Narcotics in 2023," which analyzed the handling of medical narcotics reported to the Integrated Drug Management System.

Last year, 19.91 million patients were prescribed 1.89 billion medical narcotics. The number of patients increased by 450,000 year-on-year. The number of prescriptions also increased by 20.51 million, but the number of prescriptions per person declined slightly.

By age, 21.2 percent (4.18 million) of prescriptions were made for patients in their 50s, followed by those in their 60s (19.7 percent and 3.89 million), 40s (19.7 percent and 3.88 million), and 40s (12.5 percent and 2.46 million).

The largest number of prescriptions were for anxiolytics (918.2 million, 48.5 percent), followed by hypnotics (298.7 million, 15.8 percent), antiepileptics (234.2 million, 12.4 percent), and appetite suppressants (227 million, 12.0 percent), according to the MFDS report.

Among the key ingredients, methylphenidate, a treatment for ADHD, was prescribed 260.5 tablets per capita, similar to the 257.1 tablets prescribed in 2022. However, the number of patients prescribed increased by 26.7 percent, from 211,483 in 2022 to 280,663 in 2023, resulting in a year-over-year increase in total prescriptions.

When examining methylphenidate prescriptions by age, prescriptions increased in all age groups under 50, with the largest increases occurring in patients in their teens to 30s.

In contrast, fentanyl patches (a narcotic painkiller) and phentermine (an appetite suppressant), which have been the subject of much-publicized abuse concerns, saw declines in both the number of patients prescribed and the amount prescribed.

In 2023, there were 47,645 medical narcotics providers, marking an increase since 2019 when the government began publishing the statistics. The number of doctors, dentists, and veterinarians who prescribed narcotics last year also increased by 2,552 compared to 2022, totaling 114,013.

As the number of drug dealers is increasing, MFDS plans to strengthen education and publicity for drug dealers and encourage accurate reporting by using mobile messages for those who incorrectly report or do not report the status of drug dealing. In addition, it will closely analyze the prescription status of medical narcotics through expert consultation and actively reflect it in policies to prevent misuse.

In addition, the main contents of the safe use standards for methylphenidate, a treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that has seen an increase in both the number of patients prescribed and the amount prescribed, have been added to the “Measures to Prevent Misuse of Narcotic Drugs” (MFDS notification), and measures, including prescription restrictions and prohibitions, will be taken against medical practitioners who prescribe it without medical justification.

The main contents of the safe use standards for ADHD medication are that methylphenidate should be used for patients diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed for no more than three months per prescription.

Besides, the ministry will focus on creating an environment for the proper prescription and use of medical narcotics, including conducting joint planning and monitoring of medical institutions and users concerned about the misuse of methylphenidate.

"Medical narcotics are essentially used in the medical field for preoperative anesthesia, relief of anxiety symptoms, and cancer and chronic pain management," said Chae Kyu-han, a drug safety planner at MHDS. “The ministry will do its best to create a safe use environment by providing standards for use so that medical narcotics necessary for patients are not misused and abused, and to provide systematic support measures, such as prevention and rehabilitation."