Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Lesson 358. The lesson today is the
difference between medication and medicine. This is one that comes up a lot
when I'm covering articles that I have to do with medicine or medication.
Sometimes a student will raise their hand and say what's the difference between
medication and medicine ? And to be honest there is some crossover, but in this in
this video I'll try to show you where we're more likely to use one than the
other. And in some cases where you would probably only use one and not the other.
All right. So let's look at the .... Let's look at the note here. Medication is most often used
to refer to drugs that are prescribed by a doctor. So when you go to the doctor's
office, he usually prescribes you some medication and could you say medicine
here maybe. But you know Medicate is this word it's used is like in the treating
of your illness and the doctor he is ... he is getting these medicines to ... to
deal with your illness. So medication is probably a little more suitable in a
sense. So ones that are needed to be taken on a regular basis often in set
doses. Yes. So a lot of prescriptions would probably more likely you would use
medication, especially in a more formal sense. Okay, good.
Medication is usually dispensed in limited amounts and for shorter periods
often a new doctor's visit is required to get more. Yes. So we're not as likely
to use the word medication for you know when you just buy over-the-counter drugs.
You don't usually say you know you're going to get some over-the-counter
medication, we usually say over counter medicine. All right. Let's continue here.
Medicine is the most common word that is used for substances
taken to treat an illness. So here's where this crossover, especially with the
average person. If they're taking pills or tablets, they very often will just
call it in medicine. Of course it can also refer to prescribed drugs and
pharmaceuticals. So this is where there is crossover
where you an average person might be able to use either one but a regular
person uses the word medicine more. The doctor uses the word medication more. But
if you're ... but if you're taking the medicine regularly, like I said more
in... in set doses and you're taking it kind of often you might really start
to refer to it as your medication. Okay. Let's continue here. Okay. Drugs and pharmaceuticals too.
But it's not limited to that. Many dictionaries often emphasize
medicine and also refer to liquids as well , especially cough medicine. Yeah we
don't usually hear people say cough medication.
Cough medicine is the more common one. So when it comes to liquids you might be
a little more likely to use word medicine and the pills and the tablets
you might be able to you know, you'd probably be a little more likely with
medication. But again you could use medicine in that sense as well. But
probably not medication for the liquids. It can also be used to refer to some
natural or herbal types of medicine. Yeah we this is another one, we never say
herbal medication or natural medication. We will always use the word medicine.
Okay. We also use the term medicine with holistic medicine , allopathic and
homeopathic medicine. So very often these are not the prescribed drugs. So in this
case we're still able to use the word medicine, but we're probably not using
medication. Yeah and remember medication is probably more often from directly
from the doctor and pharmaceuticals. Now let's continue. it is also important to
note we use the word medicate as a verb meaning to treat medically with or
without drugs. So this is a little unusual. We don't usually have the verb
medicine is usually not a verb. I did find some dictionaries that had it but
if they had it it must be a really old obsolete use. I never here
anybody say to medicine somebody or I'm going to medicine myself. That would be
really weird. We don't ... we don't hear that. So medicate kind of covers both. Whether
you're going to be using the word medicine or medication. Because we don't you know, in our
modern times, we don't really use medicine as a verb
hardly ever. I don't think I've ever heard it used. Let's continue. So as a
verb meaning. Yeah. So ... so we can also say self-medicate. Yeah self-medicate meaning
to give oneself medicine without a doctor's supervision. Yeah. You know , if
you learn about it and you ... you do it yourself , you figure you don't need the doctor and
if it's hopefully it's working. You might be able to self medicate
yourself. Even though, you may not be taking the pharmaceuticals that you
would need a prescription for. So the verb medicate covers that.
You cannot say self medicine. Yeah nobody says self medicines themselves. But you
could self medicate yourself. Okay. Let's continue. Medicine can also refer to the
study and practice of preventing illness. You do not say that you study medication.
Yeah. So somebody goes to study medicine, they don't study medication. Maybe you
could study pharmaceuticals but you don't usually study medication.
Medication is you know, what is prescribed by the doctor..
So that's another clear difference . Right and let's just cover a few examples here.
Example number one. I take three doses of medication every day. Yeah. So especially
when you're talking about doses. You might be a little more likely to use the
word medication. I take three doses of medicine every day. You might get away
with it but medication feels more suitable here.
I bought some over-the-counter medicine for my cold . Again we don't usually say
over-the-counter medication. We say over-the-counter medicine. Okay number
three here. That cough medicine really helps to suppress my coughing. Yeah. Again
we don't usually say cough medication. We usually say cough medicine. Okay. And
the last one here. My medication is running out. I need to make a doctor's
appointment. Yeah. So again when you're referring to the drugs that you're
taking that's prescribed by a doctor you're taking on a regular basis these
are the situations where you're a little more likely to use the word medication
instead of medicine. Okay. Again I hope you got it. You do have to realize there
is some crossover , but I hope with this video you got a little bit of a better
feel when you would use medicine. When you would use medication and a few of
those instances where you ... you would only use one and not the other. Anyway I hope
you got it . I hope it is clear. Thank you for your time. Bye-bye.