ADHD drug prescriptions up 37.8% in two years; half for under-19s
Version 2: A third outlet, Dong-A Ilbo, has added detail to the same government figures: the under-19 group is 49.6% of prescriptions, male under-19 prescriptions run about 2.6 times female ones, and the outlet frames the increase as likely misuse among middle and high school students. No new figures or disputes were reported.
In short
Prescriptions of the ADHD medicine methylphenidate in South Korea reached 58.05 million in the first half of 2026, up 12.1% from a year earlier and 37.8% from the first half of 2024, according to the food and drug safety ministry and the Korea Institute of Drug Safety. About half of prescriptions and patients were in people aged 19 or under, with 28.81 million prescriptions for that age group and male patients outnumbering female patients by roughly 2.6 to one. The government has released an awareness video and said inspections in May and August found 1,733 illegal online sales or brokerage posts.
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Prescriptions of methylphenidate, the ADHD medicine classed as a narcotic for medical use, reached 58.05 million in the first half of 2026, up 12.1% from the same period a year earlier and 37.8% from the 42.13 million recorded in the first half of 2024, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Korea Institute of Drug Safety, as reported by Yonhap, Asia Economy and Dong-A Ilbo. Monthly volumes passed 10 million in both April and June this year, while the highest monthly figure in the first half of last year was 9.22 million in May. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
People aged 19 or under accounted for about half of both prescriptions and patients. Prescriptions in that age group totalled 28.81 million in the first half, Dong-A Ilbo reported, or 49.6% of the total. Within the group, prescriptions for males were 20.90 million against 7.91 million for females, a ratio of about 2.6 to one, Dong-A Ilbo said. Male prescriptions in the age group rose from 15.78 million in the first half of 2024 to 18.73 million in the first half of 2025 and 20.90 million this year. In June, 225,000 patients received the drug, 35,000 more than in the same month last year. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The rise stands out against other narcotic-class medicines. Prescriptions of analgesics, anxiolytics and hypnotics grew 0.4% to 4.5% year on year in the first half, while appetite suppressants and antitussives declined, according to the two outlets that published the comparison. The documents say methylphenidate must be taken under a doctor’s prescription and that people without a related condition who take it can suffer headaches, insomnia, hallucinations or delusional thinking. Dong-A Ilbo’s summary also lists vomiting among the possible side effects. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The government has begun promoting awareness of methylphenidate misuse. Yonhap reported that a video featuring actors Seo Young-hee and Kim Tae-young conveys the message that methylphenidate is not a nutritional supplement and that no drug makes people study well. A food and drug safety ministry official said special inspections in May and August identified 1,733 online posts illegally selling or brokering the drug, and warned that buying medicine online without a prescription or taking medicine given by someone else can be punished. [ 1 , 2 ]
Dong-A Ilbo’s summary attributed the trend to the drug being wrongly known as a “drug that makes you study well” or one that improves concentration, and said this is interpreted as a result of misuse among middle and high school students. The other documents describe the drug as wrongly known by those labels without drawing that conclusion. Only a summary of Dong-A Ilbo’s article was available, and it ends mid-sentence. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The figures show rapid growth in prescriptions of a narcotic-class medicine, concentrated among children and teenagers, which the outlets frame as a misuse-prevention issue. The food and drug safety ministry is responding with public messaging and online enforcement rather than new restrictions, so the documents indicate the current focus is awareness and illegal sales. The documents do not establish whether the rise reflects more diagnosis or more misuse.
Key facts
- First-half 2026 prescriptions of methylphenidate totalled 58.05 million, up 12.1% from the same period a year earlier. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Compared with the first half of 2024, when prescriptions were 42.13 million, the 2026 figure is up 37.8%. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Prescriptions for people aged 19 or under reached 28.81 million in the first half of 2026, about half the total, or 49.6% according to Dong-A Ilbo. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Within that age group, prescriptions for males were 20.90 million against 7.91 million for females. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Monthly prescription volumes passed 10 million in both April and June 2026; in the first half of 2025 the highest month was May with 9.22 million. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- In June 2026, 225,000 patients were prescribed the drug, 35,000 more than in the same month last year. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Growth in methylphenidate prescriptions outpaced analgesics, anxiolytics and hypnotics, which rose 0.4% to 4.5%, while appetite suppressants and antitussives declined. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The food and drug safety ministry said special inspections in May and August found 1,733 illegal online sales or brokerage posts for methylphenidate. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Prescriptions of methylphenidate reached 58.05 million in the first half of 2026, up 12.1% year on year and 37.8% from the first half of 2024, according to the food and drug safety ministry and the Korea Institute of Drug Safety. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- About half of prescriptions were for people aged 19 or under, at 28.81 million prescriptions. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Within the under-19 group, male prescriptions of 20.90 million far exceeded female prescriptions of 7.91 million. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Monthly prescription volumes exceeded 10 million in both April and June 2026. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The food and drug safety ministry said 1,733 illegal online sales or brokerage posts were found in May and August inspections. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The documents say methylphenidate must be taken under a doctor’s prescription and that people without a related condition can suffer headaches, insomnia, hallucinations or delusional thinking. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the rise in prescriptions reflects more diagnosis, wider prescribing, or misuse. None of the documents gives a cause for the increase; the figures are presented without an explanation of drivers.
- Whether prescriptions continued to rise after June 2026. The documents report monthly figures only through June and give no later data.
- The outcome of the 1,733 illegal online posts identified in the inspections. The documents say the posts were found but do not say how many led to charges or other action.
- Independent verification of the prescription figures. All three documents carry the same numbers from the same two government-linked agencies.
- Whether misuse among middle and high school students explains the increase. Only Dong-A Ilbo’s summary offers this interpretation, and it states it as an analysis rather than a finding.
- The full contents of Dong-A Ilbo’s report. Only a feed summary was available for that outlet, and it ends mid-sentence.