Medical narcotics: How to know if your prescription is on list

“Medical narcotics” are drugs used for treatment or surgery but are strictly regulated due to their high potential for addiction and harm when misused. / Photo by Pixabay

Public awareness around the risks of medical narcotics is growing following recent news that TV personality Lee Kyung-kyu was booked by police on suspicion of driving under the influence of medication. The incident occurred when Lee mistakenly drove a car identical to his own, due to a valet's error, and was investigated for vehicle theft. During the investigation, he tested positive for drugs and alcohol. Lee claimed the result was likely caused by anti-anxiety medication he had taken the day before for panic disorder.

Although the official investigation is still ongoing, Lee’s explanation may be plausible. Medications commonly used to treat panic disorder or anxiety, particularly benzodiazepines (BZDs), are classified as medical narcotics in Korea. Under current traffic laws, even prescription drugs that fall into this category can prohibit driving if they impair one’s ability to operate a vehicle. Lee admitted, “I wasn’t fully aware that driving after taking my anti-anxiety medication could be an issue.”

The number of patients prescribed medical narcotics continues to rise, exceeding 20 million last year alone. Despite this, public understanding of these medications remains limited. “Medical narcotics” refer to drugs used for medical purposes such as treatment or surgery, but which carry a high risk of addiction and harm if misused. According to Korea’s Narcotics Control Act, medical narcotics include three main categories: narcotic drugs (permitted for medical use), psychotropic drugs, and cannabis used for treatment. Many medications used for sleep anesthesia, panic disorder, anxiety, and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) fall under this classification.

So how can individuals check whether the medication they are taking qualifies as a medical narcotic? According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on June 25, patients can review their prescription history through the Medical Narcotics Safety Guide website or the corresponding mobile application. By selecting “Check My Prescription History” and verifying their identity, users can view details from the past year, including product names, uses, ingredients, and prescribing institutions. In one example, the drug information for a medical narcotic explicitly warned that patients should “avoid driving or operating heavy machinery due to potential drowsiness and impaired alertness, concentration, and reflexes.”

An official from the ministry said, “We are strengthening various channels to provide detailed information about medical narcotics to both patients and healthcare providers.” In June last year, the ministry implemented a system requiring doctors to check a patient’s prescription history before prescribing fentanyl patches or tablets, which are strong narcotic painkillers. If overuse or duplicate prescriptions are suspected, doctors are allowed to withhold or adjust prescriptions.

The ministry is also working on expanding a notification system to help doctors view a patient’s past usage of ADHD medications and appetite suppressants more easily. “We are coordinating with software providers for electronic medical record systems so that a pop-up window displaying prescription history appears,” said a ministry official. “We plan to roll this out for ADHD medications in the first half of the year, and for appetite suppressants in the second half.”

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.