Suboxone Treatment & Clinics in California (How to get Suboxone in California)

Suboxone has been shown to have a similar efficacy rate as methadone for the treatment of opioid use disorders. Because it is less habit-forming, it is a sought-after medication for the treatment of opioid addiction.²

What is Suboxone?

Suboxone is a prescription medication often used to help people stop using opioids like heroin. It can also be helpful for people who abuse stronger prescription opioids. Suboxone is the brand name for a combination of two drugs; buprenorphine and naloxone.

Buprenorphine is an opioid medication that produces a weaker effect than drugs like heroin. The effect of buprenorphine also levels off even if the dose is increased, which reduces the risk of both dependency and overdose.³ Naloxone works by binding to opioid receptors in the brain and blocking the euphoric effects of other opioid drugs.²

Suboxone helps reduce cravings in people with opioid addictions. It is becoming a more attractive option than methadone, particularly because there is less risk of dependence.³

How to Find Suboxone Treatment and Doctors in California?

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has made it easy to locate Suboxone treatment providers in California. The Buprenorphine Practitioner Locator page on their website lists doctors who can prescribe Suboxone in every state. Just click California on the map and scroll through hundreds of providers throughout the state who can help.⁴ Note that it is not an exhaustive list. SAMHSA also lists 165 treatment facilities in California for people seeking treatment for opioid use disorders.⁵

Suboxone treatment is available and can be initiated in hospital emergency departments.⁶ In response to the COVID-19 global health crisis, Suboxone and other MAT prescriptions can be obtained through a telehealth or phone appointment.⁷

However, in many cases, you can still receive Suboxone through attending rehab in California. Physicians are required to obtain a special license to prescribe Suboxone and other controlled substances that help with opioid use disorders (OUD).⁷ While telemedicine can have its drawbacks, it reaches a much broader scope of people seeking treatment, especially for those in rural communities where access to healthcare is limited. Many insurance companies now cover telehealth appointments like they do in-person appointments.⁷

Suboxone Cost and Insurance Coverage in California

The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 requires health insurers to provide some level of coverage for the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders in the same way they cover medical and surgical procedures.⁸ State regulations and provider policies may differ, but a certain level of coverage is required. The same is true of Medicaid. All states reimburse for some form of medications for MAT.⁹ Check with your insurance carrier to find out the specifics of your plan. Suboxone treatment insurance coverage depends on your particular policy, your needs, and more.

To determine whether your insurance may cover MAT or another form of addiction treatment in California, use our simple insurance contact form below.

Suboxone Statistics and Laws in California

• In California, approximately 45% of drug overdose deaths involved opioids in 2018.¹⁰
• Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, has seen the number of recipients who have been prescribed Buprenorphine nearly quadruple from 2014 to 2018.¹¹
• The California MAT Expansion Project was implemented in 2017 to increase access to MAT, particularly to those in rural, American Indian, and Alaska Native tribal communities.¹²
• The MAT Expansion Project provided care to 22,000 new patients in California between 2017 and 2019.¹²
• In addition, the California MAT Expansion Project created 650 new access point locations where people can receive treatment for OUD; it also trained 395 new providers who can prescribe buprenorphine, the main ingredient in Suboxone.¹²

Sources:

1. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (Updated 1/4/21). Medication-Assisted Treatment.
2. Velander, J. (2018). Suboxone: Rationale, Science and Misconceptions. The Oschner Journal. NCBI.
3. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). (September 2, 2016). Buprenorphine/Naloxone versus Methadone for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence: A Review of Comparative Clinical Effectiveness, Cost-Effectiveness and Guidelines.
4. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (n.d). Buprenorphine Practitioner Locator.
5. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (n.d.). Opioid Treatment Program Directory.
6. Donofrio, G. O’conn0r, P. Pantalon, M. (2015). Emergency Department-Initiated Buprenorphine/Naloxone Treatment for Opioid Dependence. Journal of the American Medical Association.
7. Galewitz, P. (April 22, 2020). Coronavirus Crisis Opens Access to Online Opioid Addiction Treatment.org.
8. S. Department of Health and Human Services. (September 1, 2020). Does Insurance Cover Treatment for Opioid Addiction? HHS.gov.
9. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2018). Medicaid Coverage of Medication Assisted Treatment for Alcohol and Opioid Use Disorders and of Medication for the Reversal of Opioid Overdose.
10. National Institute on Drug Abuse. (April 3, 2020). California Opioid-Involved Deaths and Related Harms.
11. Rowan, H. (May 23, 2019). Use of Buprenorphine to Treat Opioid Addiction Proliferates in California.org.
12. California Department of Healthcare Services. (September 29, 2019). State Opioid Response Grant Performance Progress Report.ca.gov.