If you are planning to taper with Buprenorphine (Brand name Suboxone, Subutex), you first must find a doctor that is licensed to prescribe it and oversee your treatment.  While becoming more common, some areas of the United States at least are still lacking.  In addition, the maximum number of patients a physician may treat with buprenorphine is limited by law, so if you find a doctor, they may not be accepting new patients.  The main site to find a buprenorphine doctor is at SAMHSA.GOV.  If you cannot find a doctor near you, you may consider travelling.  Also, new doctors are added weekly so be sure to check back often.

To find a doctor in your area, visit http://buprenorphine.samhsa.gov/bwns_locator/

In addition to finding a physician to prescribe buprenorphine (the only drug approved to treat addiction, that is prescribed by a physician), you can also search for addiction treatment centers (where both suboxone or methadone can be prescribed) as well as lookup drug treatment laws and policies for your state.

The Locator is an on-line resource designed to assist States, medical and addiction treatment communities, potential patients, and/or their families in finding information on locating physicians and treatment programs authorized to treat opioid addiction with buprenorphine (Suboxone® and Subutex®).

The Locator lists:

  • Physicians authorized to prescribe a class of medications for opioid (narcotic) addiction treatment, of which Suboxone® and Subutex® are the only ones approved at this time.
  • Treatment programs authorized to dispense (but not prescribe) opioid treatment medications, including Suboxone® and Subutex®.

The treatment programs in the Locator are based on a list of treatment programs authorized under 21 U.S.C. Section 823(g)(1) to dispense (but not prescribe) opioid treatment medications. These treatment programs can admit patients and dispense methadone, Subutex®, or Suboxone®. Please note that CSAT is not a treatment referral agency and cannot make specific recommendations or endorsements regarding treatment programs on the Locator.

If you haven’t already, plase check out our buprenorphine page here at Opiate Addiction Guide.