If you’re struggling with opioid addiction, the medication Suboxone (buprenorphine) can help you through the withdrawal and help you get your life back in the long-term. How can you find a doctor who prescribes Suboxone in San Jose?
Due to DEA regulations, it can be (ironically) more difficult to find treatment with Suboxone than it is to be prescribed other opioid medications like percocet or oxycodone. Although this is changing as more medical providers go through the special training required to provide Suboxone and other buprenorphine medications, it can be a frustrating experience to find Suboxone doctors in San Jose or other areas of Santa Clara County currently accepting new patients.
Here are tips and strategies to help you find a Suboxone program and begin opioid addiction treatment:
1. Check out online Suboxone treatment.
At Workit Health, we only require a single in-person office visit to our Lafayette, California location. After that, all medical appointments are done online, via videoconferencing through our online program. Suboxone treatment at Workit Health also includes 24/7 messaging with a counselor, as well as engaging online addiction courses that teach you skills like mindfulness, handling emotions in sobriety, and understanding triggers and cravings.
Learn more about Workit Health’s online Suboxone treatment program.
2. Ask your general practitioner for a referral, or if they’re willing to get the waiver needed to prescribe buprenorphine.
The DEA requires DATA waiver certification to prescribe Suboxone and other buprenorphine medications, which requires extra training. Many times, this means that doctors, nurse practitioners, and other clinicians dedicated to treating opioid addiction aren’t general practitioners, but there is a push for primary care doctors to treat opioid addiction and prescribe buprenorphine. It’s worth checking in with your primary care doctor, and seeing if they are willing to get the training required to prescribe Suboxone or refer you to someone else who is.
3. Submit your information to TreatmentMatch.org.
Treatmentmatch.org is the NAABT (The National Alliance of Advocatesfor Buprenorphine Treatment)’s totally anonymous matching system, and a brilliant idea. Rather than call a list of providers and see which ones are accepting new patients, Treatmentmatch.org allows you to submit your information to buprenorphine providers near you and if they’re currently accepting new clients, they respond to your inquiry. Your information is cloaked through the matching system, so you can choose to contact providers who look like a good fit for you, but won’t be contacted by any others.
4. Contact Santa Clara County for assistance.
Behavioral Health Services of Santa Clara County does offer a Suboxone Treatment Program. Their website states, “The Substance Use and Treatment Services (SUTS) is the County’s first to use Suboxone for the treatment of prescription pain medication dependence, heroin addiction, and methadone or other opioid dependence.”
5. Look into local methadone clinics.
While many methadone clinics may have a different treatment style than office-based opioid treatment programs that prescribe Suboxone, like asking patients to visit everyday in the beginning of treatment and gradually earning take-home medication, methadone clinics are an available options that may sometimes prescribe Suboxone.
Check out SAMSHA’s list of opioid treatment programs (methadone clinics) in California.
6. Find prescribers via Suboxone.com.
The website for Suboxone, the most popular brand-name buprenorphine product, is frequently updated with a directory of doctors that currently prescribe Suboxone. The only issue here is that doctors need to remove themselves when they aren’t accepting patients, which may not always get done. Expect to call around a bit, but don’t let that stop you.
7. Look into clinical trials involving Suboxone or other buprenorphine medications.
Hey, this is a longshot, and if you’re struggling with addiction and need immediate treatment, applying for a clinical trial might not be the best way to go. But especially if you don’t have health insurance, lucking out with a clinical trial in your area can be a great way to get free treatment while contributing to the greater good of scientific research. Remember that some clinical trials use double-blind studies, or give some participants placebo medications. You can check out clinical trials wtih buprenorphine at www.clinicaltrials.gov.
San Jose, California is one of the largest cities in the Bay Area, California. Like all of America and Northern California, San Jose is being affected by the opioid crisis. Luckily the extreme rates of overdose that have affected the East Coast haven’t yet come to the West Coast. But why wait? Find treatment today, and take your life back from addiction.
