Background: Heroin addiction is a very severe medical condition that entails serious social and medical consequences. Opiate substitution therapy decreases the use of heroin as well as the risk of crime and overdoses. Beyond the decrease inadverse effects, opiate substitution therapy aims for social and personal rehabilitation in line with WHO:s recommendation for person centered care.

Aim: The aim of this study is to describe the patients experience of participating in opiate substitution therapy.

Method: The applied method is a qualitative literature review with a systematic approach and the articles were analyzed with Graneheim and Lundmans manifest content analysis. The articles were retrieved from the databases CINAHL, MEDLINE och PsycInfo and 15 articles were included in theresult in total.

Results: The patient experience of participating in opiate substitution therapy is summarized by the categories A key to a better life and Deadlocked and exposed. A key to a better life is described with the subcategories A normal life and Recovery. Deadlocked and exposed is described with the subcategories Deficits of the care program, Cuffed to the medicine and Stigmatization from the people around you.

Conclusion: The patient experience of participating in opiate substitution therapy are both positive and negative. However, there are accordance concerning what the positive and negative experience consists of. There seems to be a conflict of interest between the patients desires and the demands and routines of the care program.