Many medicines cause uncomfortable side effects, so when patients have disorders such as hypertension, which have few or no discernible symptoms, it is hard for them to see the benefit of taking a drug that makes them feel worse. For the same reason, noncompliance is very high when medication is prescribed to prevent an illness from developing. It can't happen to me. Life-style changes are too hard to make. Many patients have a difficult time making prescribed life-style changes, such as quitting smoking, exercising regularly and changing their eating habits.
Patients come to identify the treatment with their illness.
Some people hate feeling dependent on drugs, so they stop taking their medication to deny they are sick. Patients adjust the dosage of their medication without consulting their physician. Many people, particularly those with chronic ailments, feel a need to take control of their problem. And they try to do so by taking control of their medication dosage. The cost of treatment is too high.