Table 1.

Themes and sub-themes identified in the analysis

Theme	Sub-theme	Mentioned by
The effects and side effects of the depot-formulation	Withdrawal symptoms during induction period	Most patients
	Other side effects during induction period	Some patients
	Lasting withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings	Patients who had discontinued depot injections
	Lumps at injection sites	Many patients, but mentioned as big problem by some who had discontinued depot injections
Social and practical factors	Freedom of not having to attend the clinic as frequently	Many patients, patients with employment
	More time for family and leisure activities	Many patients
	Benefit not having to handle medication	Patient who accepted depot injections
	No social pressure to divert	Patient who accepted depot injections
	Frequent clinic visits a routine that gives structure to everyday life	Patients who declined depot injections
	Frequent clinic visits a valued social activity	Some patients
	No practical benefits of depot injections	Some patients who collected their medication at pharmacies
Psychological benefits	A shift in self-perception – feeling more “free” and “normal”	Patient who accepted depot injections
	A relief not having to think about the medication every day	Patient who accepted depot injections
	Reduced drug stigma	Patient who accepted depot injections
	The clinic as a risk environment – reduced exposure to patients in active drug use	Patient who accepted depot injections
Psychological disadvantages	Unwillingness and/or fear to change an effective medication	Patients who declined depot injections
	Perceived need to take medication every day	Patients who declined depot injections
	Depot injections perceived as untested with unknown side-effects	Patients who declined depot injections
Pharmaceutical atmosphere	Depot injections were introduced responsibly by staff	Most patients
	Trustful relationships with staff important when deciding on medication	Many patients
	Information and rumors among patients may influence perceptions of depot injections	Many patients
	Coercion leads to dissatisfaction, mistrust and negative rumors	Patients at one clinic