Wiktionary
n. (context pharmacology English) A licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a prescription before it can be obtained.
WordNet
n. 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" [syn: prescription, prescription medicine, ethical drug] [ant: over-the-counter drug, over-the-counter drug]
Wikipedia
A prescription drug (also prescription medication or prescription medicine) is a pharmaceutical drug that legally requires a medical prescription to be dispensed. In contrast, over-the-counter drugs can be obtained without a prescription. The reason for this difference in substance control is the potential scope of misuse, from drug abuse to practicing medicine without a license and without sufficient education. Different jurisdictions have different definitions of what constitutes a prescription drug.
"Rx" (℞) is often used as a short form for prescription drug in North America- a contraction of the Latin word "recipe" (an imperative form of "recipere") meaning "take". Prescription drugs are often dispensed together with a monograph (in Europe, a Patient Information Leaflet or PIL) that gives detailed information about the drug.
The use of prescription drugs has been increasing since the 1960s. In the U.S., 88% of older adults (62–85 years) use at least 1 prescription drug, while 36% take at least 5 prescription medicines concurrently.
Usage examples of "prescription drug".
Byers was charged with selling Xanax, a controlled prescription drug.
In his present position, Daniels will oversee the drafting of the federal budget, including how much money (if any) will be earmarked for a prescription drug benefit for Medicare patients—.
The chances of this administration allowing a prescription drug benefit for seniors to pass in the next year are about as good as those of me setting myself on fire in front of a Rite Aid.
In his present position, Daniels will oversee the drafting of the federal budget, including how much money (if any) will be earmarked for a prescription drug benefit for Medicare patients&ndash.
For example, could Diane Bray's prescription drug habit in fact be a marker for other illegal ac.
The prescription drug bottle had contained exactly what the label said it did, and was most certainly not the alkaloid that had killed Vandermeer.
When Senator Clinton voted to oppose the Bush prescription drug benefit under Medicare, her position suggested that she may still be in their thrall.
Except for an extensive list of generic antibiotics, Arolen did not have many exclusive products in the patented prescription drug category.
He'd been in hospital, he'd just been released, in condition your medics knew when they let him out with a prescription drug in his system—.
I felt like I'd been given a prescription drug that opened a fifty-pound pair of oak double doors, doors I'd somehow overlooked before.