On the 24th, it was revealed that 4 out of 10 people received prescriptions for medical narcotics last year. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Korea Institute of Drug Safety & Risk Management provided these statistics on the handling of medical narcotics in 2024.
The number of patients prescribed medical narcotics increased by 14% from 17.48 million in 2020 to 20.01 million last year. Last year, each patient received an average of 96 prescriptions for medical narcotics. The percentage of patients prescribed propofol, used as an anesthetic, was 57%, while those prescribed midazolam, a hypnotic sedative, was 38%. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety noted, "These are the ingredients used for sleep endoscopy during health check-ups."
Prescriptions for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medications increased by 139% from 37.71 million to 90.20 million during the same period. The rise in ADHD patients aged 0 to 19 had an impact. ADHD is characterized by distractibility, lack of attention, and impulsive behavior.
Prescriptions for fentanyl decreased by 20%, from 9.3 million to 7.39 million. Fentanyl is an opioid painkiller that can cause hallucinations. Images of people addicted to fentanyl staggering abroad have led to it being dubbed "zombie drug." Prescriptions for appetite suppressants decreased by 14%, from 253.71 million to 219.24 million.
Last year, 60% of patients were in their 40s to 60s. Those under 10 years old accounted for 3%, 7% were in their 20s, 13% in their 30s, and 17% were over 70. About 114,000 physicians, dentists, and veterinarians prescribed medical narcotics. The domestic production of medical narcotics was over 1.66 billion, with imports at 290 million and exports at 14.26 million. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety stated, "We will prevent the misuse of medical narcotics."