Not sure if this question is appropriate for this forum (English language & usage) or is better suited in the other forum (English Language learner), but below is my confusion –
The expression of "fill a prescription" in English seems to carry multiple meanings and I am seeking clarification.
(1) The doc has filled your prescription – meaning the doc wrote a prescription for me, but I still need to go to a pharmacy to get my medicine. For now, I have not been charged for the medicine.
(2) The pharmacist has filled your prescription – meaning the pharmacist provided the medicine to me. I needed to pay to the pharmacist in exchange for my medicine.
(3) On our record, you have filled the prescription – meaning on the record, I have received(?) the medication, not that my prescription has only been "filled" by the doc, per the definition of the first example.
Are these correct? Thank you.
Best Answer
Hopefully this simplifies it for you, but the Pharmacist is the one who fills your prescription. It might help you to think about a Pharmacist filling a bottle with pills.
A doctor "writes" a prescription. Often a doctor writes a prescription on a piece of paper. However, it can also be written electronically, or faxed.
A pharmacist "fills" a prescription. Your prescription bottle will literally be "filled" with drugs, when you present a valid prescription to a pharmacist.