Chronic Pain and Addiction Treatment in San Diego

How is chronic pain treated when someone also has a substance use disorder in San Diego?

In San Diego, chronic pain is usually treated alongside a substance use disorder by having the pain clinician and the addiction clinician work from one shared plan. The right mix is a decision for the clinicians and the patient together, based on both conditions.

A San Diego program may list buprenorphine or methadone for opioid use disorder, non-opioid pain medicines, physical therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy or other psychological approaches. Buprenorphine also has pain-relieving effects, which is one reason some prescribers consider it for people with both conditions.

Buprenorphine prescribers appear among Suboxone clinics in San Diego. Narcotic treatment programs licensed by the California Department of Health Care Services appear among methadone clinics in San Diego. Outpatient care alongside an existing pain clinician is a common starting point.

Cutting a long-term opioid or benzodiazepine prescription sharply on your own is not safe, because withdrawal and renewed pain can follow an abrupt stop. Plan any taper with the prescriber, and tell every clinician what you take, since opioids and benzodiazepines together raise risk. Nasal naloxone can be bought over the counter in California.

Is it safe to stop or reduce pain medication on my own?

Stopping or sharply cutting a long-term opioid or benzodiazepine prescription on your own is not safe, so plan any taper with the prescriber. Physical dependence on a medicine taken as prescribed is not the same as a substance use disorder. Even so, a sudden stop can bring withdrawal and a return of pain, and benzodiazepine withdrawal can be serious. Taking opioids and benzodiazepines together also raises risk, so tell every clinician what you take. Nasal naloxone is sold over the counter in California. The County of San Diego’s harm reduction maps show where naloxone is handed out by vending machine or community group. Related listings sit under benzodiazepine treatment in San Diego.

What should I ask a San Diego program, and how do I pay?

Questions to ask

A good first question is whether the program treats pain and substance use together. Ask whether it can continue or start medication for opioid use disorder, and whether it will coordinate with your current pain prescriber. Ask which level of care fits, since many people with both conditions start in outpatient treatment in San Diego while keeping their pain clinician. Each listing shows services, medication options, payment types, insurers, accreditation, languages and populations served.

Paying and getting started

Medi-Cal covers substance use treatment in San Diego County through county-contracted Drug Medi-Cal providers, with the County of San Diego Behavioral Health Services as the entry point. Local Medi-Cal plans include Community Health Group Partnership Plan, Blue Shield of California Promise, Molina Healthcare of California and Kaiser Permanente. Eligibility questions go to 1-866-262-9881. Private insurance plans generally fall under federal parity rules for substance use benefits. The county line at 1-888-724-7240 runs 24 hours a day with support in over 200 languages. The state’s automated referral line is (800) 879-2772, and the national treatment referral line is free too. In a crisis, call or text 988.

Every program in this group lies within 25 miles of a river, most often the San Diego River. San Diego International is the nearest major airport for 94 percent of them, a median of 5.9 miles away. For listings across California, see pain and addiction treatment in California. The national guide to pain and addiction covers the basics, and every local option is on the San Diego treatment page.