Som att ha ett osynligt koppel på sig : Intervjustudie med tre patienter med erfarenhet av utskrivning från substitutionsbehandling mot opiatmissbruk

Sammanfattning: Aims: To examine how patients with experience of being involuntarily discharged from medication-assisted treatment with methadone or buprenorphine have coped with the consequences following the discharge. The study also aim to examine how the patients cope with the stigma related to their abuse of heroin and how they manage to cope with the rules regarding themedication-assisted treatment. Method: Three patients with experience of involuntary discharge from medication-assisted treatment have been interviewed. All were heroin abusing men living in Stockholm. The interviewees were recruited through the Swedish Drug Users Union and through a shelter for homeless people with drug problems. Results: All the discharged patients experienced a hard time after the discharge. One went back to abuse heroin and the other two began to buy methadone or burprenorphine on the black market. All of them also experienced it difficult to cope with the stigma and considered that there were many obstacles in their life caused by the treatment rules. Conclusion: The discharge led to harsh consequences for all the patients. Heroin addicts need to deal with a lot of stigma related both to their drug abuse and the medical assisted treatment and find it difficult to manage that.