Ordonnance vs. prescription
In French, while both ordonnance and prescription relate to a doctor's medical instructions, they are not interchangeable. Ordonnance is the common, everyday term for the document you receive, whereas prescription is a more formal term referring to the act or instruction of prescribing.
Ordonnance
A2An ordonnance is the standard and most frequently used word for a medical prescription. It refers to the actual physical or digital document written by a health professional (like a doctor or dentist) that authorizes a patient to get a specific medication or treatment.
Le médecin m'a donné une ordonnance pour des antibiotiques.
(The doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics.)
J'ai besoin d'aller à la pharmacie pour récupérer les médicaments sur mon ordonnance.
(I need to go to the pharmacy to pick up the medication on my prescription.)
Vous pouvez acheter ce sirop pour la toux sans ordonnance.
(You can buy this cough syrup without a prescription.)
Mon ophtalmologue m'a fait une ordonnance pour de nouvelles lunettes.
(My ophthalmologist wrote me a prescription for new glasses.)
N'oubliez pas de demander le renouvellement de votre ordonnance avant qu'elle n'expire.
(Don't forget to ask for a renewal of your prescription before it expires.)
Prescription
B2A prescription is a more formal and technical term. It focuses on the medical recommendation or the professional act of prescribing a treatment, rather than the document itself. It is often used in medical literature, legal contexts, or administrative discussions about healthcare.
La prescription de ce type de médicament est très réglementée.
(The prescription of this type of medication is highly regulated.)
Le respect de la prescription médicale est crucial pour la guérison.
(Following the medical prescription is crucial for recovery.)
Le surdosage est souvent dû à une erreur dans la prescription ou l'administration.
(An overdose is often due to an error in the prescription or administration.)
La prescription d'activité physique est une nouvelle approche thérapeutique.
(The prescription of physical activity is a new therapeutic approach.)
Seul un médecin est habilité à la prescription de certains traitements.
(Only a doctor is authorized for the prescription of certain treatments.)
Summary
In short, use ordonnance when you are talking about the physical or digital prescription note you get from a doctor and take to the pharmacy; it is the word for everyday use. Use prescription when referring to the formal act or the abstract concept of prescribing, typically in a medical, legal, or academic context. Think of ordonnance as the object and prescription as the professional action or concept.