Doctors hear all kinds of answers when they start asking questions that patients would rather avoid. People may forget a few details, minimize a habit, or confidently insist they follow every medical recommendation to the letter. Sometimes the lie is obvious, while other times it takes a test, an examination, or a few follow up questions to reveal what is really going on. It is rarely about patients trying to deceive their doctors for no reason. Embarrassment, fear of judgment, and anxiety about what comes next can all play a role. Here are fifteen things doctors say patients are most likely to lie about.Keck MedicineSmokingDoctors say patients frequently insist they do not smoke, even when the smell, stained fingers, medical history, or test results make the answer fairly obvious.cnx.cmd.push(function() {cnx({playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530",}).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796");});ChenMedMedication ComplianceOne of the most common answers doctors hear is that patients take every medication exactly as prescribed, even when prescription records or pill counts suggest otherwise.Community Care PhysiciansAlcohol ConsumptionPatients often downplay how much they drink, sometimes describing heavy drinking as an occasional night out despite evidence that tells doctors a very different story.BritannicaWhat They Ate Before SurgerySome patients insist they have had absolutely nothing to eat or drink before a procedure, even when they have actually eaten recently, something anesthesiologists consider especially important to know.SenecaRecreational Drug UseDoctors regularly hear patients blame a roommate or someone else for the smell of marijuana when the evidence suggests otherwise, making drug use one of those subjects people apparently feel particularly uncomfortable admitting.Sky NewsHow Often They ExercisePatients sometimes describe themselves as much more active than they really are, especially when they know their doctor is going to ask about exercise and lifestyle habits.American Society of NutritionTheir DietThe supposedly healthy diet can become surprisingly flexible when a doctor starts asking specific questions, with patients minimizing how often they actually eat foods they know they have been advised to avoid.Farmington DrugsMissing DosesSome patients claim they have only missed one or two doses when the reality is considerably different, often because they are worried the doctor will lecture them about not following instructions.NBC NewsThe Real Reason for an InjuryDoctors and medical workers sometimes hear elaborate explanations for injuries that clearly do not match what happened, including the classic claim that someone simply “fell” onto an object in an unfortunate location.Unitek CollegeTheir Medical HistoryPatients occasionally say they have no significant cardiac history while simultaneously having obvious physical evidence such as a pacemaker, surgical scar, or signs of previous major procedures.SensodyneFlossingDentists apparently hear plenty of optimistic answers about flossing habits, even when a patient’s gums provide some fairly immediate evidence that the claimed routine may be more aspirational than accurate.American Hearth AssociationHow Long Ago They Quit Smoking“Yes, I quit” can mean very different things in a doctor’s office, with one Reddit response describing a patient who said they had quit smoking that very morning.WebMDHow Much Their Symptoms Affect ThemPatients may minimize or exaggerate symptoms depending on what they believe will happen next, making the doctor’s job harder when trying to determine what is actually happening rather than what the patient thinks they need to say.The post 13 Doctors Share the Things That Patients Are Most Likely to Lie About appeared first on Den of Geek.