Table 2.
Themes and subthemes used in the final analytical framework with examples.
| Themes | Description | Example |
| Adverse drug reactions-presence or absence | If the patient explicitly reported experiencing ADRsa associated with the drug consumption. | “Effexor XR gave me horrible nightmares and I kept waking up.” |
| Perceived distress from ADRs-high | If the patient explicitly mentioned that they suffered from ADRs, used any qualifiers indicating severe ADRs, or indicated functional problems such as limitation in daily functioning because of ADRs. | “The side effects are intolerable.” |
| Perceived distress from ADRs-low | If the patient explicitly mentioned that the ADRs were tolerable and/or used qualifiers indicating mildness/transience persistency of ADRs. | “Any side effects were, for me, tolerable compared to the benefits.” |
| Perceived distress from ADRs-medium | If the perceived distress form ADR cannot be labeled as high or low, then it is medium. | “I suffered from headache.” |
| Withdrawal symptoms-presence or absence | If the patient explicitly reported experiencing any sign/symptoms associated with the process of dosage reduction or drug discontinuation. | “I weaned slowly and I feel nauseous a lot.” |
| WDb-perceived distress-high | If the patients explicitly mentioned they suffered from withdrawal symptoms, functional problems associated with the WDs, or they used qualifiers indicating the severity of a specific WD. | “The withdrawal symptoms are horrible.” |
| WD-perceived distress-low | If the patient explicitly mentioned that the WDs were tolerable or used qualifiers indicting mildness/transience of WDs. | “Withdrawal was fine; When I stopped the drug, I had mild dizziness.” |
| Perceived distress from WDs-medium | If the perceived distress form WD cannot be labeled as high or low, then it is medium. | “When I tried to stop the drug, I had some dizziness.” |
| Drug effectiveness-effectiveness | A drug is effective if the patient reported that depression symptoms improved or resolved after drug consumption. | “For the first few weeks it helped me feel better.” |
| Drug effectiveness-ineffectiveness | A drug is ineffective if the patient reported that depression symptoms became worse or stayed the same. | “It did not help me at all.” |
| Patient-physician interaction-positive | A patient-physician interaction is positive, if the patient expressed their satisfaction from communications with clinicians. | “Success with these meds truly depends on staying in touch with your physician.” |
| Patient-physician interaction-negative | A patient-physician interaction is negative, if the patient expressed their dissatisfaction from communications with clinicians. | “Doctors do not understand the crazy side effects of starting this class of drugs.” |
| Lack of knowledge | If the patient complained that they did not receive sufficient information about ADRs or WDs of the drugs and the mechanism of its management. | “No one informed me of the withdrawal nightmare.” |
| Experience of WD-unintentional | If the patient explicitly mentioned that they forgot to take medication (missing dosages) or ran out of medication, the discontinuation is unintentional. | “When I miss a day I feel very spaced out, thick, groggy, sad.” |
| Experience of WD-intentional | If the patient explicitly mentioned that they stopped (discontinue) the medication or they are in the process of discontinuation (weaning off or tapering off). | “I had to stop taking it.” |
aADRs: adverse drug reactions.
bWD: withdrawal symptoms.