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| Partners in Drug Abuse Rehabilitation Counseling | 2112 F Street NW Suite 102 | District of Columbia |
| Heritage Treatment Centers | 4200 Edmondson Ave suite 102 | Baltimore |
| Bayside Recovery | 440 Solomons Island Rd N | Prince Frederick |
| Pikesville Health Services Methadone Clinic | 1209 Greenwood Rd | Pikesville |
| REACH Health Services | 2104 Maryland Avenue | Baltimore |
| Adult Addiction Clinic | 122 Langley Road North | Glen Burnie |
| BD Health Services, Inc. | 3955 North Point Rd | Dundalk |
| Prince George’s County Health Department | 3003 Hospital Drive | Cheverly |
| New Horizons Health Services, Inc. | 15216 Dino Drive | Burtonsville |
| Community Institute-Behavioral | 3101 Towanda Ave. | Baltimore |
| Sinai Hospital Addictions Recovery Program | 2401 West Belvedere Ave. | Baltimore |
| Addiction Treatment Services at Johns Hopkins Bayview -BBRC Building | 5501 Nathan Shock Drive | Baltimore |
| Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Facility | 300 East Madison Street | Baltimore |
| Metropolitan Transition Center | 954 Forrest Street | Baltimore |
| Eastern Avenue Health Solutions | 5920 Eastern Ave | Baltimore |
| MedMark Treatment Centers Cherry Hill | 1801 Cherry Hill Rd | Baltimore |
| MedMark Treatment Centers Baltimore 101 | 821 North Eutaw Street Suites 101 & 201 | Baltimore |
| Pine Heights Comprehensive Treatment Center | 3455 Wilkens Ave., Lower Level 20 | Baltimore |
| Winchester Health | 1315 Bloomingdale Rd | Baltimore |
| B.N.J. Health Services | 2701 Washington Boulevard | Baltimore |
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Medication treatment for opioid use disorder in Washington, DC
Washington, DC is a compact, densely served jurisdiction where methadone clinics, office-based buprenorphine prescribers, and telehealth all operate within a short distance of most residents, yet the burden of opioid overdose has fallen heaviest on Wards 7 and 8 east of the Anacostia River. If you are looking for medication for opioid use disorder (OUD) here, you have real options across all three FDA-approved medicines: methadone, buprenorphine (including Suboxone), and naltrexone. The listings on this page show providers in the District. You can call one directly or reach the helpline for help deciding where to start.
What treatment looks like, and where you can get each medication
Three medications treat opioid use disorder, and they are available in two different settings. Understanding the difference tells you what the providers on this page actually offer.
Methadone is a full opioid agonist that steadies withdrawal and cravings. For OUD, it is dispensed only through a federally certified opioid treatment program (OTP), the setting many people still call a methadone clinic. You cannot pick it up for OUD at a regular pharmacy. Early in treatment this usually means daily visits, with take-home doses added as treatment stabilizes.
Buprenorphine, including buprenorphine-naloxone films and tablets sold as Suboxone and the monthly extended-release injection Sublocade, is a partial agonist with a built-in ceiling that lowers overdose risk. Since the federal X-waiver was removed in 2023, any clinician with a standard DEA registration can prescribe it, so you can get it in a doctor’s office (office-based opioid treatment, or OBOT) and fill it at a pharmacy, or through an OTP. Comparing how methadone and Suboxone work can help you and a clinician choose.
Naltrexone, including the monthly Vivitrol injection, blocks opioids rather than activating them. Any licensed prescriber can offer it, but you have to be fully off opioids first, which is why timing matters. For more on the clinic-based option, see what to expect from an opioid treatment program and how methadone treatment works.
Starting treatment: the first visit and the fentanyl timing question
Getting started usually begins with an intake assessment: a clinician reviews your opioid use, health history, and goals, then works with you on which medication fits. Bring an ID and any insurance information if you have it, but not having those should not stop you from calling. Some District programs offer same-day or walk-in starts.
One practical point matters most if you are using fentanyl. Because fentanyl lingers in the body, starting buprenorphine too soon can trigger sudden, severe withdrawal, known as precipitated withdrawal. A clinician plans the timing of your first dose to avoid this, and methadone induction follows a different path. This is a question to raise on your first call, not something to navigate alone. You can read more about methadone treatment when fentanyl is involved or about opioid use disorder treatment generally.
Take-home doses, telehealth, and the current rules
Federal rules updated in 2024 changed daily life in treatment. SAMHSA’s revision of the OTP standards expanded take-home methadone, up to a 28-day supply for patients who are stable in treatment, with the program deciding eligibility based on how treatment is going. The same update let treatment begin by telehealth and authorized mobile medication units, and it removed the old requirement that a person have a year of opioid use before being admitted.
For buprenorphine, telehealth remains open: as of 2026, it can be started through a telehealth visit, including by phone in many cases, without a prior in-person appointment. Those flexibilities run through the end of 2026 and are still being finalized, so confirm what is current with a provider. Methadone for OUD is still dispensed through an OTP, though some programs can begin treatment with an audio-visual telehealth visit. If you are transferring care or need a guest dose, ask a program directly, and know that staying consistent with your dose protects the progress you have made.
Paying for treatment in the District
DC Medicaid, administered by the Department of Health Care Finance, covers all three medications for opioid use disorder. Most beneficiaries receive care through the DC Healthy Families managed care program, delivered by plans such as AmeriHealth Caritas DC and Wellpoint DC. The District’s Medicaid pharmacy benefit does not require prior authorization for medication treatment of substance use disorder, which removes a common delay at the pharmacy counter. Private insurance and Medicare also cover OUD treatment, and many OTPs offer self-pay or sliding-scale options. If cost is your first worry, say so when you call; a program can walk you through what applies to you.
Overdose prevention and harm reduction across the city
The District’s opioid deaths are overwhelmingly driven by fentanyl, which was present in about 93 percent of the opioid overdose deaths reviewed for 2023 (DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Opioid Fatality Review Board, 2024). The loss has fallen unevenly: Wards 7 and 8 accounted for close to half of the residents who died. The recent direction, though, is encouraging. Washington, DC was among the jurisdictions with the steepest declines in the country in 2024, with overdose deaths down 35 percent or more compared with 2023 (CDC National Center for Health Statistics, provisional data, May 2025). Officials credit wider naloxone access as part of that shift. The city’s coordinated response, LIVE.LONG.DC, led by DC Health with the Department of Behavioral Health, ties together treatment, naloxone distribution, and ward-level outreach. Behind each figure is a person, and the point of the number here is simple: treatment works and it is available locally. If you want to understand the condition itself, this overview of opioid addiction is a place to start.
Naloxone: how to get it and how it helps
Naloxone, the medication that reverses an opioid overdose, is available over the counter as Narcan nasal spray and through DC pharmacies and community distribution programs tied to the District’s LIVE.LONG.DC effort, often at no cost. Keeping it on hand matters for anyone using opioids and for the people around them. A return to use can happen in a chronic condition like OUD, and it is a manageable step to work through with a provider, not a failure. Learning to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose is worth a few minutes for any household touched by this.
Pregnancy, reentry, and other specific situations
Some situations call for extra care. For pregnant patients, methadone and buprenorphine are the recommended standard, and staying in treatment is safer for both parent and baby than stopping; a care team can plan for neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) and connect you with a Plan of Safe Care. Seeking treatment is the protective choice, and DC providers experienced in perinatal care can guide you. People leaving incarceration or entering treatment through a court, probation, or a hospital referral can also access MOUD, and District programs work with these referral sources. Families supporting someone through this play a real role, too. See guidance on methadone and pregnancy and how families can help.
Common questions about MOUD in Washington, DC
Is methadone or Suboxone better?
Neither is better across the board; they fit different lives. Methadone is dispensed daily at first through an opioid treatment program and suits people who want that structure or who have not done well on buprenorphine. Suboxone can be prescribed in an office and filled at a pharmacy, with a lower overdose risk. The right choice is one you make with a clinician.
Can I start treatment the same day in DC?
Sometimes. Some opioid treatment programs and office-based prescribers offer same-day or walk-in starts, and buprenorphine can often be started by telehealth. Availability varies, so call a provider on this page to ask what they can do this week.
Do I have to go to a clinic every day for methadone?
At first, usually yes. As treatment stabilizes, federal rules updated in 2024 allow take-home methadone up to a 28-day supply for patients who are stable, with the program deciding when you qualify.
Will DC Medicaid cover my treatment?
DC Medicaid covers methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone for opioid use disorder, and the District’s Medicaid pharmacy benefit does not require prior authorization for these medications. Confirm the specifics of your plan when you call.
Does long-term medication treatment mean I am not really in recovery?
No. Long-term, or ongoing, medication is legitimate, effective treatment for a chronic condition, not an unfinished step. Many people stay on medication for years, and how physical dependence differs from addiction is a common thing to ask about.
Last reviewed and disclosures
Last reviewed July 2026.
Sources
- DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Opioid Fatality Review Board 2023 Annual Report, 2024.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, provisional drug overdose death data, May 2025.
- DC Department of Health Care Finance (DHCF), DC Medicaid and DC Healthy Families program information.
- DC Health, LIVE.LONG.DC opioid strategic plan and overdose data dashboard.
- SAMHSA, 42 CFR Part 8 revisions (2024) and MOUD overview.
- DEA and SAMHSA, buprenorphine telemedicine rules current through 2026.
- FDA, information on methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone, and naloxone.
Methadone Centers is a treatment-discovery and education resource, not a treatment provider, and does not offer medical advice. Decisions about medication and treatment should be made with a licensed clinician.
The helpline connected to this site is sponsored. Calls may be answered by a paid advertiser among the treatment providers in our network.