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. A prescription can also be a way to tell another person how to help the patient, such as for physical therapy.