given by vs prescribed by

Whether or not the doctor is sufficiently generous to give you the medicine from stock at no additional charge, we don't know. It is reasonable to say given to you by the doctor, because that is the physical transaction which occurred. Saying that it were prescribed by the doctor implies that you had a written prescription which you took to a pharmacy to obtain the medication.

Thanks, Setanta.

I think I would like to elaborate on the bracketed part of my first post. However, I believe that the answer should be the same as your reply. It is as follows:

[Where I live, the medicine is dispensed by the clinic assistant at the same doctor’s clinic based on the doctor's prescription and the medicine is handed to the patient . She also collects the fee charged by the doctor.]

Yes, my answer would largely be same--although, if you never go to a pharmacy to fill a prescription, then i would not used "prescribed by" at all.

prescribe

verb
1.
(of a medical practitioner) advise and authorize the use of (a medicine or treatment) for someone, especially in writing.

Especially, not exclusively. A doctor can prescribe various things e.g. drugs, exercises, diets, etc, verbally or in writing.

Thanks, Tes yeux noirs.

Soon after taking the medicine given by the doctor, the diarrhoea stopped.

Would you use prescribed by in place of the above highlighted words?

when I read this, my initial thought was that the medication had been administered by the doctor

free was my second thought

prescribed didn't occur to me til I started reading the discussion

If the doctor gave me the medicine, I would use 'given by'. If the doctor told me to go away and buy the medicine, or wrote me a prescription, I would use 'prescribed by'.

Thanks, Tes yeux noirs.

From the posts I notice that doctor in other countries doesn't have an assistant in their clinic who will dispense the medicine prescribed by the doctor they are working for. Where I live the doctor has a variety of medicines in their clinic. The doctor will write the prescription after examining the patient and give it to their assistant who will dispense the medicine and collect the amount for consultation and cost of the medicines.

Under such an arrangement, I think "prescribed by" is the correct term.

I have thought about this some more. Certainly in British medical circles, and I suspect in other English speaking zones of the world, the word 'give' used with medication can mean more than just 'physically present to the patient'. A doctor might say "I observed symptoms of tachycardia so I gave 10mg Verapramil". This might mean the doctor injected it directly, or instructed a nurse or assistant to do so. It might mean the doctor wrote a prescription. Thus 'give' describes the action of causing the medication to be administered, whether personally or via an intermediary, immediately or later. Thus 'giving' includes 'prescribing'.