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How Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder Works in Colorado
Colorado has built one of the more developed systems in the Mountain West for treating opioid use disorder with medication. The state’s Behavioral Health Administration licenses and oversees opioid treatment programs, the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention coordinates response statewide, and a Hub and Spoke Model of Care links clinic-based methadone with office-based buprenorphine in primary care.
The Front Range, from Fort Collins through Denver to Pueblo, holds most of the OTPs. In rural and mountain counties, a buprenorphine prescription from a primary care clinic, sometimes by telehealth, often fills the gap.
The directory above shows providers across the state. Below is context to help you decide what to ask for when you call.
Three Treatment Medications and Where to Find Them
Three medications are FDA-approved for opioid use disorder, and they are not interchangeable.
Methadone is dispensed only through a federally certified opioid treatment program, often called an OTP or methadone clinic. You cannot get methadone for opioid use disorder at a regular pharmacy.
Treatment usually starts with daily visits, and over time stable patients can earn take-home doses. Federal rules updated in 2024 allow stable patients up to a 28-day supply, decided by the program.
Buprenorphine, including the brand Suboxone (buprenorphine combined with naloxone) and the monthly injectable Sublocade, can be prescribed in a doctor’s office, a community health center, or an OTP, and filled at a pharmacy. Since the federal X-waiver was eliminated in 2023, any clinician with a standard DEA registration can prescribe it, which has widened access in primary care across Colorado.
Starting buprenorphine too soon after using fentanyl can trigger sudden, severe withdrawal (precipitated withdrawal), so the timing of your first dose is something a clinician walks through with you. How methadone and Suboxone compare in daily life is the question most people weigh first.
Naltrexone, including the monthly Vivitrol injection, is not a controlled substance and can be prescribed by any licensed provider. It only works after about seven to 10 days off opioids, so it is rarely the first step from active fentanyl use.
For a closer look at what daily care at an OTP involves, see how opioid treatment programs work.
Colorado Coverage, Funding, and the Rules That Shape Access
Health First Colorado, the state’s Medicaid program, covers all three FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder.
Methadone is covered through outpatient narcotic treatment programs, and Suboxone, buprenorphine-naloxone, and generic buprenorphine tablets are covered as a pharmacy benefit. Buprenorphine tablets are authorized during pregnancy and are on the state preferred drug list. Health First Colorado members are connected to one of seven Regional Accountable Entities (such as Colorado Access in the Denver metro) that coordinate behavioral health benefits.
The Behavioral Health Administration houses Colorado’s State Opioid Treatment Authority who oversees the state’s OTPs. In February 2022, Colorado eliminated several requirements that were stricter than federal rules, including a counselor-to-patient ratio and on-site medical-director hours.
The state has followed SAMHSA’s 2024 update to 42 CFR Part 8, which expanded take-home methadone, allowed treatment initiation by telehealth, and removed the prior requirement that a person have a year-long history of addiction before admission to an OTP.
For buprenorphine specifically, federal telemedicine flexibilities let new patients start treatment by phone or video without a prior in-person visit. As of 2026, those flexibilities run through December 31 of this year while permanent rules are finalized, and a separate final rule for buprenorphine telehealth, effective December 31, 2025, is also in place. Confirm with the clinic what its current process looks like.
Colorado is investing roughly $871 million in opioid-litigation settlement funds over nearly two decades through 19 Regional Opioid Abatement Councils. These councils fund treatment, harm reduction, and recovery work in their counties. The Attorney General’s Opioid Abatement Innovation Challenge has separately funded the Colorado Opioid Model to Advance Treatment (CO-MAT) at Denver Health, which is building out the Hub and Spoke model for correctional and community care.
For more on long-term treatment, see why staying with your dose matters.
The Overdose Picture, and Why the Trend Matters
Colorado’s overdose numbers are still painful, but they are now improving. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Vital Statistics Program recorded 1,603 drug overdose deaths among Colorado residents in 2024, down from 1,865 in 2023.
Fentanyl-involved deaths fell from 1,273 to 964 over the same period, roughly a 24 percent drop. CDC data covering a slightly later 12-month window reported an even sharper decline in synthetic-opioid deaths.
Researchers and state officials credit a mix of factors. They point to wider naloxone distribution, changes in the illicit drug supply, and expansion of medication treatment and harm reduction.
If you are deciding whether to start treatment, the practical message is that more options exist than three years ago, the medications work, and the people who started on them are part of why the numbers are falling. Background on opioid use disorder covers how the condition develops and how treatment changes it.
Finding and Starting Treatment in Colorado
Most adults can start treatment within a week, and same-day access exists in parts of the state, particularly through Denver Health and several Front Range OTPs. The first visit is an assessment: A clinician asks about your opioid use and health history, decides with you which medication fits, and arranges your first dose.
If you choose methadone, you will return daily at first. If you choose buprenorphine, you may leave with a prescription or a same-day appointment with a prescribing clinician.
Three state-supported resources offer ways to find a provider beyond this directory. The OwnPath Care Directory and Colorado LIFTS care navigation are both run through the Behavioral Health Administration. They let you search by opioid use disorder treatment and filter by location and insurance.
The 988 Colorado Mental Health Line (call or text 988) connects you to a person around the clock for support and referral.
For a walkthrough of what to expect at an opioid use disorder treatment intake, or the less common case of inpatient treatment when withdrawal needs hospital-level care, the linked pages walk through it.
Rural Colorado, Jails, and Pregnancy: Paths That Need a Different Plan
The biggest practical access gap in Colorado is geographic. OTPs cluster along the Front Range and in larger Western Slope towns, so for people in rural or mountain counties the nearest methadone clinic may be in another county.
Two things help. Buprenorphine prescribed by a primary care or community-health clinician, including by telehealth, does not require a daily drive to a clinic and is widely available. The state’s Hub and Spoke Model of Care, with funding from the Colorado Attorney General’s office and partners including Denver Health and the North Colorado Health Alliance, links rural primary care spokes to OTP hubs so people can start and stay in treatment closer to home.
Colorado law also addresses treatment for people in custody. Senate Bill 19-008 required jails receiving jail-based behavioral health funding to have a policy for providing medication for opioid use disorder. House Bill 22-1326 expanded that mandate, with the jail-based MOUD requirement taking effect July 1, 2023.
More Colorado jails now offer buprenorphine, naltrexone, and in some cases continuation of methadone for people already in treatment, with linkage to community care at release. If you or someone you love is leaving custody, ask about a community referral and a naloxone kit before release.
For pregnant patients, methadone and buprenorphine are the recommended standard of care, and Colorado’s preferred drug list authorizes buprenorphine tablets in pregnancy. Treatment improves outcomes for the parent and reduces the severity of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) when it occurs.
Specialist obstetric and perinatal addiction care is available through Denver Health, UCHealth, and several other systems. See methadone treatment during pregnancy for more info.
Naloxone and Overdose Response in Colorado
Naloxone (Narcan) reverses an opioid overdose and is widely available in Colorado. Under Senate Bill 15-053, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment maintains a statewide standing order so any participating pharmacy can dispense naloxone without an individual prescription. Stop the Clock Colorado maintains a searchable map of those pharmacies.
CDPHE’s Naloxone Bulk Purchase Fund supplies free naloxone to local public health agencies, schools, law enforcement, and harm reduction organizations. Locations include the Harm Reduction Action Center in Denver.
Colorado’s Good Samaritan law provides immunity from criminal prosecution for a person who reports or experiences an overdose. Recognizing and responding to an opioid overdose covers what to do in the moment.
Common Questions Coloradans Ask Before Calling
Do I have to go to a clinic every day?
At the start of methadone treatment, yes, daily dosing is the norm. After a period of stability and meeting your program’s criteria, you can earn take-home doses, up to a 28-day supply for stable patients under current federal rules. Buprenorphine and naltrexone do not require daily clinic visits and can be filled at a pharmacy or, for Vivitrol, given as a monthly injection.
Will Health First Colorado pay for treatment?
Yes. Health First Colorado covers methadone through OTPs and covers buprenorphine and naltrexone through the pharmacy benefit. If you are not enrolled, an OTP or community health center can often help with same-day enrollment screening. The Q&A hub collects more common questions.
Can I start Suboxone by phone in Colorado?
For most people, yes, as of 2026. Federal telemedicine rules let a new patient start buprenorphine by audio-only or audio-visual visit without an in-person evaluation first.
The current temporary flexibilities run through December 31, 2026 while permanent rules are finalized, and the buprenorphine-specific telehealth rule that took effect December 31, 2025 also remains in place. Confirm the current process with the clinic when you call.
How long does treatment last?
There is no fixed end date. For many people, medication for opioid use disorder is ongoing care, similar to how diabetes or high blood pressure is managed long-term. Some people taper off after a period of stability with a clinician’s support, and some stay on medication indefinitely.
What if there is no OTP in my county?
This is common in rural Colorado. A primary care clinician can prescribe buprenorphine, often by telehealth, and the Hub and Spoke Model connects rural prescribers to an OTP hub for clinical support. The OwnPath Care Directory and Colorado LIFTS care navigation can help you find the closest option.
About This Page
Last reviewed June 2026.
Sources:
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Vital Statistics Program, drug overdose deaths 2015 to 2024 (cdphe.colorado.gov)
- Colorado Behavioral Health Administration, Opioid Treatment Programs (bha.colorado.gov)
- Health First Colorado, Pharmacy Benefits (hcpf.colorado.gov)
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Naloxone Standing Orders and Naloxone Bulk Purchase Fund (cdphe.colorado.gov)
- Stop the Clock Colorado (stoptheclockcolorado.org)
- SAMHSA, 42 CFR Part 8 final rule, 2024 (SAMHSA.gov)
- DEA and HHS, Fourth Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications, effective January 1 through December 31, 2026 (Federal Register)
- DEA and HHS, Expansion of Buprenorphine Treatment via Telemedicine Encounter final rule, effective December 31, 2025 (DEA)
- Colorado Senate Bill 19-008 and House Bill 22-1326 (Colorado General Assembly)
- Colorado Attorney General, Opioid Abatement Innovation Challenge and Regional Opioid Abatement Councils (coag.gov)
- Pew Charitable Trusts, “Coloradans With Opioid Use Disorder Benefit From Greater Access to Treatment,” 2023 (Pew.org)
Methadone Centers is an informational directory, not a medical provider. We do not diagnose or treat opioid use disorder. Information on this page is for general education and does not replace advice from a licensed clinician.
Calls to any general helpline on this site will be answered or returned by a paid advertiser. There is no obligation to enter treatment, and we do not receive any commission or fee that depends on which treatment provider a caller chooses.
Last Updated: August 19, 2026