To be fair, the quoted piece doesn't say "write a prescription for ibuprofen". It says doctors "prescribe ibuprofen". The former implies an actual written presc

To be fair, the quoted piece doesn't say "write a prescription for ibuprofen". It says doctors "prescribe ibuprofen". The former implies an actual written prescription you might give to a pharmacist, the latter is more ambiguous and can mean that the doctor told you to take ibuprofen. As in: "For my cold, the doctor prescribed plenty of rest and fluids".