Have you ever been to the doctor and he or she said you needed a prescription? A prescription is an order for medicine that a doctor writes. When you get a prescription from your doctor, you must take it to a pharmacy, or drugstore. At the pharmacy, a pharmacist will fill the prescription.
Pharmacists know all about different kinds of medicines. They must know how each medicine works. They must know how much of each medicine each person needs to take. They must know the effects of each medicine.
Some medicines can be bought without a prescription. These are called over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. Prescription medicines may be stronger than OTC medicines. All medicines can be dangerous if not used correctly. Prescription medicines can be even more dangerous.