Talking About Medicine & Medication in English | Learn English Podcast for Practice Speak & Listen
🏥 Need to explain a health problem in English—at a pharmacy, in a clinic, or while traveling—without panic? In this episode of English Fluency Builders, Alice and Bob make medicine and medication vocabulary simple, practical, and easy to use in real life. Talking about health is stressful even in your first language. When English is your second language, it can feel even harder. That’s why this episode focuses on the exact words, phrases, and sentence patterns you need to speak clearly and confidently about medication, prescriptions, symptoms, side effects, and doctor visits. ✅ What you’ll learn in this episode (Essential Medical English) 1) Medicine vs. medication (and when to use each) You’ll learn how English speakers use: medicine (general word) medication (also common—often interchangeable) Example you’ll understand and be able to say: “Where is the cold medicine?” “I’m taking medication for an infection.” 2) OTC vs. prescription (must-know pharmacy vocabulary) This is one of the most important distinctions when you’re buying medicine in English-speaking countries: ✅ Over-the-counter (OTC) = you can buy it without a doctor Examples: ibuprofen, acetaminophen, cough syrup ✅ Prescription medication = a doctor must give you a prescription Key verb: prescribe “The doctor is going to prescribe an antibiotic.” 3) Dosage forms (pills, capsules, syrup, creams) You’ll learn how to describe the “shape” or type of medicine: tablet / pill capsule liquid medicine / syrup cream / ointment topical medication (applied to the skin) Plus the useful phrase dosage form for formal situations. 4) Instructions on labels (dose + frequency) This part is critical for safety. You’ll learn the exact language used on medication labels: dose (how much) frequency (how often) Common examples: “Take one tablet twice a day.” “Take this medication with food.” “Take on an empty stomach.” 5) Warnings and side effects (plus key safety words) You’ll learn how to talk about: side effects (unwanted effects) drowsiness (feeling sleepy) allergy (and how to say it clearly) Example: “I have an allergy to penicillin.” “This medicine makes me drowsy.” 6) How to talk to a doctor about symptoms and pain Instead of only saying “I don’t feel good,” you’ll learn to describe symptoms clearly: fever, cough, runny nose And how to describe pain: “sharp, stabbing pain” “dull pain” “My pain is an eight out of ten.” You’ll also learn what to say if your medicine isn’t helping: “I don’t think this medication is effective.” “I haven’t seen any improvement in my symptoms.” 7) The #1 communication tip: confirm instructions One of the best practical skills in this episode: ✅ Always confirm how to take the medication before you leave. Useful phrase: “Just to confirm, I take one pill in the morning and one pill at night for seven days—correct?” Clear confirmation prevents mistakes and helps you stay safe. 🧠 Quick Vocabulary List (from this episode) medicine • medication • pharmacy • over-the-counter (OTC) • prescription • prescribe • antibiotic • pain reliever • tablet • pill • capsule • syrup • topical medication • cream • ointment • dosage • dose • frequency • label • take with food • empty stomach • side effects • drowsiness • allergy • symptoms • pain scale • effective • improvement • blood test • urine sample 🎯 Practice Challenge (Speak out loud!) Try saying these three sentences today: “Do you have an OTC pain reliever?” “I have a prescription for an antibiotic.” “Just to confirm, I take one pill twice a day.” Fluency grows faster when you practice speaking, not only listening. Medical English vocabulary, pharmacy English, medicine vocabulary in English, prescription vs over the counter English, doctor visit English, symptoms in English, side effects in English, how to describe pain in English, English listening practice, English speaking practice, everyday English podcast, English Fluency
