[Why do patients discontinue their drugs?]

Preventing or treating an illness just as avoiding its complications depend on the proper continuity of the intake of medication. Patients who discontinue their drugs unilaterally could call the result of treatment into question.

Practising doctors who have the patients' trust asked, whether patients had discontinued their drugs and why they did so.

250 patients from 19 doctors' offices admitted having discontinued, 54.8% of them because of adverse drug reactions, and 45.2% because of other reasons. Most of the adverse drug reactions were listed in the prescribing information, but there were also adverse events, which were not listet, and which could have a signal effect. Patients named a lot of different reasons for discontinuation not related to adverse drug reactions. The reasons were comprehensible and possibly could be avoided.

Physicians should call attention to possible adverse events and should show up a benefit-risk profile. Reasons for discontinuation different from adverse drug reactions require physicians' efforts, but also help from family members, pharmacist, health insurance and health authority.