Table 1 Acceptance of medication taking

"At the beginning it was very hard to come to terms with. You feel like you are pill-popping ... but now I have come to terms with the illness and it (taking tablets) is something that I live with. I just have to." (female with ulcerative colitis, 36 years)

"It's not a very nice feeling actually to know that you're going to be dependent on tablets for the rest of your life, especially when you're not keen on taking tablets.. I mean I know I have to and I will be taking them for the rest of my days, so you just have to accept it don't you?" (female with crohn's disease, 44 years)