Prescriptions for methylphenidate, an attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment widely known as “study drug” among students in Korea, have surged nearly 38 percent over the past two years in the country and are especially high among people aged 19 and under, data showed Sunday. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Korea Institute of Drug Safety and Risk Management, 58.05 million methylphenidate tablets were prescribed in the first half of this year, up 12.1 percent from the same period a year earlier. This marked a 37.8 percent increase from the first half of 2024, when 42.13 million tablets were prescribed. Methylphenidate is a controlled medical substance in Korea and needs a doctor’s prescription to be purchased. Alarming is that methylphenidate prescriptions were particularly high among people aged 19 and under, who accounted for about half of the total. In the first half of this year, 28.81 million tablets were prescribed to people in the age group. Males accounted for 20.9 million tablets, far more than the 7.91 million prescribed to females. Pres
