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.