a prescription (℞) is a message given by a doctor to a patient saying what to do. it may say to get special medicine that is only for people with a prescription. those drugs are often very strong, and they cannot be bought normally from a pharmacy as you could with over-the-counter drugs. some prescription drugs, for example oxycontin or hydrocodone, are used illegally to become intoxicated. using prescription drugs illegally may result in drug addiction, illness, and death.