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Discontinuation is the process of quitting a procedure, such as the course of treatment with a drug or a consumer product line.


Discontinuation (DC[1]) of a medical treatment is to stop administering a treatment to a patient. There are several reasons for discontinuation, e.g.:

  • The ailment or reason it was taken has disappeared.
  • The adverse effects outweigh the desired effects.
  • Better alternatives are available.

Drug discontinuation may cause rebound effects (return of the symptoms the drug relieved, and that, to a degree stronger than they were before treatment first began) and withdrawal syndromes (symptoms caused by the discontinuation by the drug itself).

Consumer products[edit]

Main article: End-of-life (product)

Discontinuation for consumer products is when a product's manufacture and/or support are stopped by the company that makes the product. This is usually due to low sales, but it does not mean the product never sold well. Many high selling products eventually see a drop in sales and eventual discontinuation, usually after being superseded by a superior product.

See also[edit]


  1. ^ DC in medilexicon, retrieved Jan 2013