By Kim Da-ye





Whanin Pharm's Penid Janssen's Concerta

In a Feb. 5 post in the online community, "dcinside.com," a young man confessed to taking Penid, a prescription drug for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), to help him focus on test preparations in recent years.

The confession is part of growing evidence that captures the gravity of the abuse of methylphenidate, a substance in ADHD drugs, by people who don't have the disorder.

At online second-hand market joonggonara.co.kr, orders are placed for methylphenidate varieties, including Concerta from Janssen and Penid from Whanin Pharm.

ADHD pills are known as a wonder drug by middle and high school students who are under pressure to study long hours to prepare for college entrance exams, as well as adults studying to be civil servants.

The pattern of abuse among the students is evident in the recent data Rep. Lee Un-ju of the main opposition Democratic Party obtained from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS)

ADHD prescriptions given to middle and high school students rose 22 percent from 155,697 in 2010 to 190,225 in 2012.

This figure compares with a 12.4 percent increase to 656,452 in prescriptions when combined with those issued for elementary school students. Most ADHD patients are male elementary school students.

Prescriptions given to high school seniors who took the November college entrance exam doubled from 592 in January 2012 to 1,200 in September. The figure dropped in November and December.

The ministry recently published a drug safety manual that explains not only the treatment for ADHD, but also the widespread misunderstanding that ADHD pills improve students' academic performance.

"ADHD medications are not meant to improve one's grades. Some serious side effects include hallucinations, delusions, an aggressive personality and even suicidal behavior," the manual warns.

The question is how healthy students who regularly consume the pills obtain them. Categorized as psychotropic drugs, a person must have a doctor's prescription to get them.

Some observers contend that doctors prescribe the pills too easily, but there are no clear regulations. When contacted by The Korea Times, both the Ministry of Health & Welfare and MFDS said they have little control over how doctors prescribe ADHD pills.

Instead, an MFDS official said that the ministry will focus on educating students about ADHD drugs this year, while continuing to monitor any illegal distribution. "We count even one pill that goes missing," said the official.

In the U.K., a professor at the University of Cambridge recently told The Telegraph newspaper that screening for the use of "cognitive-enhancing" drugs may become necessary. According to Varsity, the university's student newspaper, a 2009 survey found 10 percent of students admitted taking concentration-enhancing medication, including ADHD pills.

When The Korea times contacted the Ministry of Education, an official said the ministry had sent a letter to schools regarding the abuse of ADHD drugs. The ministry has not taken any further action of late, she said.