How to Find a Suboxone Doctor Near You

Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone) is an FDA-approved medication prescribed to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). It is the first medication for opioid use disorder that can be prescribed and dispensed in a physician’s office by a Suboxone doctor, significantly increasing access to treatment.¹ Suboxone can be prescribed by a variety of providers, including medical doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, certified nurse specialists, certified nurse midwives, and certified registered nurse anesthetists.²

Suboxone Doctors: Who Can Prescribe Suboxone?

There are a variety of qualified medical professionals that can legally prescribe Suboxone, such as: ^2,3

Doctors of Medicine (MDs and DOs): Doctors of medicine are licensed physicians who have graduated from an accredited medical school.
Nurse Practitioners (NPs): Nurse practitioners are certified nurses who have graduated with either a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP).
Physician Assistants (PAs): Physician assistants are master’s level clinicians who practice in collaboration with doctors of medicine.
Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs): Clinical nurse specialists are registered nurses who have obtained their Master of Science in Nursing. CNSs differ from NPs in that they usually focus more on research, administration, or program development whereas nurse practitioners focus more on direct patient care.
Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs): Certified nurse-midwives are a type of advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) that specialize in providing healthcare for women.
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs): Certified registered nurse anesthetists are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) with graduate-level education who can provide anesthetics to patients in a variety of settings.

Why Suboxone is Prescribed

Suboxone is prescribed for the treatment of pain or opioid use disorder. It may be given to those with more severe addictions or a history of relapse. It is prescribed as a substitution treatment where the patient takes Suboxone, a partial opioid agonist, as a substitution for a stronger, full-acting agonist like heroin.^4,5

When prescribed Suboxone, you will take it regularly for a period and taper off gradually to avoid painful, uncomfortable, and sometimes severe withdrawal symptoms that can occur when detoxing from opioids.⁴

Some common opioid withdrawal symptoms include:⁶

Insomnia
Anxiety
Restlessness
Agitation
Nausea
Vomiting
Abdominal cramps
Diarrhea
Runny nose
Sweating
Yawning
Muscle aches and pains
Increased tearing
Goosebumps
Dilated pupils

Where to Find a Suboxone Doctor

If you think Suboxone may be the right treatment for you, a great first step is to ask your primary care provider. They might be able to prescribe Suboxone for you right in their office.

Online Suboxone Doctors and Clinics

Due to federal regulation changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, Suboxone doctors can now prescribe Suboxone to patients without an initial in-person evaluation. Before the pandemic, many people in rural areas may not have had access to treatment. Now, many clinics offer telehealth options for Suboxone treatment, and often people can receive same-day prescriptions.⁸

Online Suboxone doctors and clinics can eliminate many barriers to treatment including:⁸

Appointment wait time
Access to transportation
Childcare
History of experiencing discrimination or stigma in medical settings

These federal regulations are only temporary emergency authorization and are scheduled to end after the pandemic. However, many clinicians and researchers are advocating for online Suboxone treatment to remain an option. One recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found no significant difference in patients receiving online Suboxone treatment versus those receiving services in person.⁹

Finding an Online Suboxone Doctor

If you are interested in online Suboxone treatment, you will undergo a similar process to find a doctor as you would if you were seeking in-person treatment.

You may start by contacting your primary care physician for referrals, or you may choose to search for online Suboxone doctors using a search engine.

Continuing Opioid Addiction Treatment

It is important to remember that while Suboxone is medication assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder, it often works best in conjunction with behavioral therapies and other recovery services.⁴

To prevent relapse, it is best to continue care even after weaning off Suboxone. Some treatment and rehab options that you may consider during or after completion of Suboxone treatment include:

Inpatient rehab
Outpatient rehab
Individual psychotherapy
Group counseling
Family therapy
12-step programs
Support groups

For more information on available treatment options, call 800-914-7089 (Who Answers?) to get help today.

Resources

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2022, April 21). Buprenorphine.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2022, April 21). Become a Buprenorphine Waivered Practitioner.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2021, April 27). HHS Releases New Buprenorphine Practice Guidelines, Expanding Access to Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
Kumar, R., Viswanath, O., Saadabadi, A. (2021, August 6). Buprenorphine. StatPearls.
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2022, January 12). Buprenorphine Sublingual and Buccal (opioid dependence)
Berger, F. (2020 May 10). Opiate and Opioid Withdrawal. U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Buprenorphine Practitioner Locator.
Wang, L., Weiss, J., Ryan, E., Waldman, J., Rubin, S., & Griffith, J. (2021, January 15). Telemedicine increases access to buprenorphine initiation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 124, 108272.
Barksy, B., Busch, A., Patel, S., Mehrotra, A., & Hushkamp, H. (2022, January 6). Use of Telemedicine for Buprenorphine Inductions in Patients with Commercial Insurance or Medicare Advantage. Journal of the American Medical Association, 5(1).