title: [Why do patients discontinue their drugs?].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  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.
  
  
  METHODS
  Practising doctors who have the patients' trust asked, whether patients had discontinued their drugs and why they did so.
  
  
  RESULTS
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wink
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005858:Germany; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D055118:Medication Adherence / Q000523:psychology*; D009042:Motivation; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects; D016903:Drug Monitoring
chemical_list: D055553:Prescription Drugs