800-680-7137Call For Help With Addiction
Talk To Someone Now
- Find a Clinic Near You
- Access Help and Resources
- Get 24-Hour Guidance and Information
Sponsored| Name | Address | City |
|---|---|---|
| Community Medical Services of Tucson | 6626 East Carondelet Dr. | Tucson |
| Community Medical Services Northwest Tucson | 2001 W Orange Grove Rd | Tucson |
| Full Impact | 2817 E 4th St | Tucson |
| Buena Vista Health & Recovery Centers – Tucson | 5151 E Pima St | Tucson |
| Center For Behavioral Health – Tucson | 2437 N Stone Ave | Tucson |
| Behavioral Awareness Center, Inc. | 2002 West Anklam Road | Tucson |
| COPE Community Services, Inc. | 2435 N Castro Ave | Tucson |
| CODAC Health, Recovery & Wellness – Substance Use Treatment & Medication Assisted Treatment | 380 E Fort Lowell Rd | Tucson |
| La Frontera – Hope Center | 260 South Scott Ave. | Tucson |
| Pascua Yaqui Tribe-Health Department | 7474 S Camino De Oeste | Tucson |
| ETANO Center | 3956 E Pima St | Tucson |
| CODAC Health, Recovery & Wellness – Speedway | 4585 E Speedway Blvd Building B | Tucson |
| BrightView Tucson | 980 N Contzen Ave | Tucson |
| Community Bridges, Inc. | 2950 North Dodge Boulevard Suite A | Tucson |
| Community Medical Services Broadway | 6802 E Broadway | Tucson |
| America’s Rehab Campuses Tucson | 6944 E Tanque Verde Rd. | Tucson |
| Kinship Methadone Clinics | 146 E Broadway Blvd | Tucson |
| Sierra Tucson | 39580 South Lago Del Oro Parkway | Tucson |
| Dr. Wen Cai, MD, PhD | 3615 North Prince Village Place Suite 121 | Tucson |
| Thili Kulatilake, MD | 4574 N 1st Ave Suite 180 | Tucson |
No results found!
Medication treatment for opioid use disorder in Tucson
Tucson is the seat of Pima County and the main hub for opioid use disorder treatment across southern Arizona, served by both methadone clinics and office-based prescribers of buprenorphine and naltrexone. The local fentanyl picture has shifted recently: deaths involving fentanyl in Pima County dropped from 309 in 2023 to 220 in 2024, the steepest year-over-year decrease the Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office has on record. The listings on this page show medication providers in and near Tucson. Call a clinic directly, or use the helpline, to ask what medications a program offers, whether it is taking new patients, and how soon you can be seen.
Methadone, Suboxone, and Vivitrol: what the listings represent
Three medications are approved to treat opioid use disorder, and they reach patients through two different settings. The setting matters as much as the medicine, because it decides where you will go and how often.
Methadone is dispensed only through a licensed opioid treatment program, often shortened to OTP. You cannot get methadone for opioid use disorder at a regular pharmacy in the United States. Most Tucson listings on this page are OTPs, and they handle daily dosing on-site early in treatment, then move stable patients onto take-home doses over time.
Buprenorphine, including the brand-name combination product Suboxone and the monthly injection Sublocade, can be prescribed in a doctor’s office and filled at a pharmacy, or provided through an OTP. Since 2023, any clinician with a standard DEA registration can prescribe it, which has widened where people can get it. Several Tucson office-based prescribers appear in the listings alongside the OTPs.
Naltrexone, including the monthly Vivitrol injection, can be prescribed by any licensed provider, but treatment can only start after you have been off opioids for a set period to avoid sudden, severe withdrawal. The page on how methadone and Suboxone compare goes deeper on the choice between the two most common options.
Starting treatment in Tucson
The first visit is an intake and medical assessment. A clinician confirms the diagnosis, reviews your medical history and current use, and discusses which medication makes sense for you. For methadone, the first dose is given the same day at the program, and your dose is adjusted upward over the first weeks until withdrawal and cravings are controlled. For buprenorphine, timing matters: starting too soon after using a strong opioid like fentanyl can trigger sudden, severe withdrawal, known as precipitated withdrawal, so a clinician schedules the first dose based on how long it has been since you last used. AHCCCS identifies a 24/7 opioid treatment access point in Tucson that serves AHCCCS members, the uninsured, and people whose insurance does not cover MOUD; other programs in the metro operate during standard clinic hours. Call the clinic you are considering to confirm hours and walk-in availability. More on starting methadone or buprenorphine after fentanyl use covers what to expect.
Take-home doses, telehealth, and current federal rules
Federal rules updated by SAMHSA in 2024 expanded what Tucson OTPs can offer. Stable patients can now receive up to a 28-day take-home supply of methadone, on a graduated schedule that starts with fewer days early in treatment and increases as you progress. Take-home eligibility is decided by the program based on clinical stability and program policy. The same 2024 rule made permanent the ability to start methadone treatment by audio-visual telehealth within an OTP, and removed older barriers to admission such as the prior one-year-of-use requirement. Buprenorphine telehealth is more flexible: as of mid-2026, buprenorphine for opioid use disorder can be started by telehealth, including by phone in many cases, without a prior in-person visit, under federal rules current through the end of 2026. Methadone for opioid use disorder is still dispensed only through an OTP. Long-term methadone treatment covers how ongoing dosing typically works once you are stable.
Paying for treatment with AHCCCS, private insurance, or self-pay
Arizona’s Medicaid program is AHCCCS, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. AHCCCS covers all three FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder, including methadone dispensed at an OTP, buprenorphine (with Suboxone listed as the preferred buprenorphine-naloxone product), and naltrexone including the Vivitrol injection. Coverage runs through the managed care plan that serves your AHCCCS membership. Naloxone is also covered by AHCCCS with no copay at contracted pharmacies. Most Tucson clinics accept AHCCCS and a range of private insurance plans, and many also offer self-pay or sliding-scale options. Call the clinic to confirm your specific plan and ask about payment terms before your first visit.
Pima County’s opioid picture in context
Pima County recorded 510 accidental overdose deaths in 2023, the highest annual total tracked by the Pima County Health Department. In 2024, total drug overdose deaths declined by close to 20 percent, with the fentanyl-specific count falling from 309 to 220, according to the Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office. Provisional 2025 data showed fentanyl deaths continuing to decline while overdose deaths involving methamphetamine and cocaine, often mixed with fentanyl, rose. County and city public health leaders attribute the fentanyl-specific improvement to a coordinated response funded in part by a $12.5 million allocation from the opioid settlement, including wide distribution of naloxone through the Pima County Health Department and the Tucson Fire Department’s community risk reduction program. Medication treatment, naloxone, and harm-reduction services are reaching more people in Tucson than they did two years ago, and that progress is reflected in the numbers above. More on opioid use disorder and how treatment helps offers fuller background.
Pregnancy and tribal community considerations
Pregnant patients with opioid use disorder are at the highest priority for treatment, and federal clinical guidance (CDC, SAMHSA, ACOG) recommends starting or continuing methadone or buprenorphine during pregnancy rather than tapering off, because continuing treatment lowers the risk of preterm labor, fetal distress, and return to use. AHCCCS publishes a Pregnant and Parenting Women Resource Guide that names Arizona providers offering MOUD during pregnancy, including programs in the Tucson area, and AHCCCS covers prenatal care and MOUD together. Pima County is also home to two tribal nations, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and the Tohono O’odham Nation, whose health programs serve tribal members in and around Tucson. Tribal members can typically use tribal health services in combination with AHCCCS coverage; calling ahead to confirm eligibility and accepted payment is the simplest way to find out what applies to your situation. Methadone treatment during pregnancy and information for families provide more detail.
Naloxone and overdose response in Tucson
Naloxone, sold over the counter as Narcan, reverses an opioid overdose if given in time. Anyone in Tucson can pick up naloxone at any Arizona-licensed pharmacy without a prescription, under a statewide standing order issued by the Arizona Department of Health Services in 2017. AHCCCS members can get it with no copay at contracted pharmacies. Free naloxone, fentanyl test strips, and syringe services are available in Tucson through Sonoran Prevention Works, the largest community naloxone distributor in the United States as of its 2023 annual report. Arizona’s Good Samaritan law (A.R.S. 13-3423) provides protection from drug-possession prosecution for people who call 911 during an overdose, and A.R.S. 36-2267 protects anyone administering naloxone in good faith from civil liability. If you or someone close to you uses opioids, having naloxone on hand is the single most important safety step, including if you are already in medication treatment. A return to use is part of what medicine treats; it is not a failure of treatment. More on opioid overdose and how to respond walks through the basics.
Common questions about Tucson methadone clinics and other MOUD
Do I have to go to the clinic every day for methadone?
At the start, yes, in most cases. Daily dosing for the first weeks is part of how methadone is started safely and adjusted to the right level. Once a patient is stable, federal rules now allow up to 28 days of take-home doses, with the schedule increasing gradually. Each program decides take-home eligibility based on clinical stability and its own protocols.
Can I start Suboxone in Tucson without coming in first?
Often yes. Under federal rules current through the end of 2026, buprenorphine for opioid use disorder can be started by telehealth, including audio-only in many cases, without a prior in-person visit. Methadone is different and is started through an OTP, in person or by audio-visual telehealth within the program.
Does AHCCCS cover Suboxone, methadone, and Vivitrol?
Yes. AHCCCS covers all three FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder. Suboxone is the preferred buprenorphine-naloxone product on the AHCCCS formulary, which generally means it does not need prior authorization. Specific coverage details depend on the managed care plan that serves your membership.
Is methadone treatment something I will be on forever?
Not necessarily, and the question is a clinical one to work through with your provider. Many patients stay on methadone or buprenorphine long-term because the medication keeps them stable and protects against return to use and overdose, and that is recognized as legitimate, effective care. Others taper off after a period of stability. When methadone treatment ends covers the typical considerations.
Can I switch from methadone to Suboxone, or transfer my methadone treatment to Tucson?
Both are possible. Switching medications requires planning with a clinician, particularly because moving from methadone to buprenorphine can trigger precipitated withdrawal if mistimed. Transferring methadone treatment from one OTP to another, including from out of state, is routine and handled program-to-program. Call the receiving clinic to ask what records and continuity steps they need.
Sources and disclosures
Last reviewed June 2026.
Sources used on this page:
- Pima County Health Department, Opioid Response, 2024.
- Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office, fentanyl and overdose mortality data, 2024 and provisional 2025.
- Tucson Sentinel, “Pima County health officials look for solutions as drug overdoses rebound,” May 8, 2026.
- SAMHSA, 42 CFR Part 8 Final Rule, 2024.
- Federal Register, Expansion of Buprenorphine Treatment via Telemedicine Encounter, 2025; Fourth Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities, 2025.
- AHCCCS, “Accessing and Locating Treatment” and “Responding to an Opioid Overdose,” 2024 and 2025.
- AHCCCS Medical Policy Manual, Policy 660, October 2024.
- AHCCCS, Arizona Pregnant and Parenting Women Resource Guide, 2023.
- Arizona Department of Health Services, naloxone standing order, 2017 (updated).
- Sonoran Prevention Works, 2023 Annual Report.
- CDC, Opioid Use and Pregnancy clinical guidance, 2025.
MethadoneCenters.com is a referrer service that provides information about addiction treatment practitioners and facilities. MethadoneCenters.com is not a medical provider or treatment facility and does not provide medical advice. The information on this page is not a substitute for professional treatment advice.
Calls to any general helpline are answered or returned by a paid advertiser. MethadoneCenters.com does not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. There is no obligation to enter treatment.