The message is clear. Many patients do not take their medication as directed, nor do they continue to take them, a message derived from decades of research.1 In developed countries, adherence averages only 50% and is considered to be a major problem worldwide.2 Inadequate adherence, or lack of persistence, may lead to catastrophic events such as stroke. Having experienced one of these events is not a guarantee that patients will continue taking medication. Studies such as the one by Glader and colleagues demonstrate that even after a stroke, about half of patients who were prescribed appropriate, evidence-based medications discontinue therapy.