Table 2. Reasons for not adhering strictly*.
| Reasons | No. (%) of patients |
|---|---|
| Symptom improved. | 127 (21.5) |
| Osteoarthritis medication is only for pain relief, not for treatment. | 97 (16.4) |
| It causes indigestion, discomfort, heart burn and other GI events. | 77 (13.0) |
| Medication is not working properly. | 67 (11.3) |
| I am worried about the adverse effects. | 49 (8.3) |
| I was advised to take medication when I only have pain. | 44 (7.4) |
| I have too many pills to take. | 39 (6.6) |
| I forgot. | 32 (5.4) |
| It makes my body swell. | 19 (3.2) |
| Lost medicine | 14 (2.4) |
| The treatment plan is complicated. | 10 (1.7) |
| I stopped because I needed to take other drugs. | 7 (1.2) |
| I gained some weights. | 3 (0.5) |
| The medicine is expensive. | 0 (0.0) |
| Others | 6 (1.0) |
| Total | 591 (100.0) |
Values are presented by number (%).
*Among 464 patients who did not answer “① Adhered strictly”, 355 patients chose one answer for the reason that the patients did not adhere strictly, 93 patients chose 2 answers, 14 patients chose 3 answers, and 2 patients chose 4 answers.