Diet Pills, Viagra Top List of Abused Drugs
Aug 22, 2005
Korea’s most frequently abused drugs are slimming
pills, followed by impotence cures and cold remedies.
A report submitted to the Korea Food & Drug Administration
(KFDA) by a research team headed by Prof. Kwon Kyung-hee
of Seoul National University on Sunday, 671 out of 7,728
respondents, or 8.7 percent, replied that they had taken
slimming treatments.
Besides prescription
drugs that often contain stimulants ephedrine and
pseudo-ephedrine, the figure also includes over-the-counter
medication, oriental medicine and health food. Some
28 percent said they bought diet treatments in pharmacies
and 22.5 percent through acquaintances, while 13.6 percent
got them via Internet or home shopping, 11.8 percent
in traditional markets, and 3.9 percent while traveling
overseas.
Some 5.8 percent of male respondents, or 176 out of
3,020, said they used erectile dysfunction cures to
increase sexual pleasure. Among them, 52.3 percent used
Viagra, while Cialis was used by 10.8 percent and sildenafil
citrate products by 5.7 percent. Some 26.5 percent answered
they used the medicines once a year and 13.3 percent
every six months.
Asked whether they had taken cold remedies for recreational
purposes, 3.2 percent answered yes. “Jungle juice”,
a mixture of cough drops and alcohol, was the most popular
with 32.3 percent of those, while 15.7 percent said
they had taken psychotropic Romilar.
Kwon said diet
pills, marijuana and sleeping pills were mainly
enjoyed by singles or financially well-off people. Those
who took them did not think of it as a serious issue
either physically or emotionally, Kwon added.
Source: http://www.finance24.com
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