prescription medicine
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A prescription medicine is a pharmaceutical drug that legally requires a written order (a prescription) from a licensed healthcare professional, such as a doctor or dentist, before a pharmacist can dispense it to a patient. This is due to its potential for harm, risk of misuse, or need for professional supervision.
Usage
This term is used to distinguish medications that require a prescription from those available "over-the-counter" (OTC). It emphasizes the controlled and regulated nature of the drug's distribution. - You must have a valid prescription from a doctor to obtain a prescription medicine. - The pharmacy cannot give you that antibiotic; it is a prescription medicine.
Examples
Advanced Usage
- "To be on prescription medicine": This phrase describes the state of regularly taking one or more prescribed drugs.
- He has been on prescription medicine for his blood pressure for years.
Variants and Related Words
- Prescription drug: A direct synonym for prescription medicine.
- Rx medication: An informal or shorthand term, where "Rx" is the symbol for a medical prescription.
- Controlled substance: A stricter legal category of prescription medicines with high potential for abuse (e.g., strong painkillers). Not all prescription medicines are controlled substances.
Synonyms
- Prescription drug
- Ethical drug (a term used mainly in the pharmaceutical industry)
Antonyms
- Over-the-counter (OTC) medicine
- Non-prescription drug
Related Phrases
- To fill a prescription: The act of a pharmacist providing the prescribed medicine to the patient.
- I need to go to the pharmacy to fill my prescription for this medicine.
- Prescription-only: A label indicating the legal status of the medicine.
- This is a prescription-only medication.
Noun
- a drug that is available only with written instructions from a doctor or dentist to a pharmacist
- he told the doctor that he had been taking his prescription regularly