Chronic Pain and Addiction Treatment in Baltimore

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

Chronic pain and a substance use disorder can be treated at the same time in Baltimore, with pain and addiction clinicians sharing one plan. Coordination means both teams know every medicine, agree on who prescribes what, and talk before making changes.

Physical dependence on a prescribed medicine is not the same as a use disorder, and a Baltimore program should assess the difference rather than assume it. Medication for opioid use disorder includes buprenorphine and methadone, and buprenorphine also has pain-relieving effects. A full medicine list at intake helps everyone work from the same record.

Clinicians may also consider non-opioid pain medicines, physical therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy or other psychological approaches. Decisions sit with the person and their care team. Baltimore listings for Suboxone clinics and methadone clinics show where those medicines are offered. Dual diagnosis programs add mental health care.

Cutting a long-term opioid or benzodiazepine prescription sharply on your own can trigger withdrawal, worse pain or a return to use, so any taper is best planned with the prescriber. Ask whether a program will coordinate with your pain doctor and whether buprenorphine or methadone can be started or kept going there.

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. Sudden changes can bring withdrawal, a pain flare or a return to use, and benzodiazepine withdrawal carries its own medical risks. Bring a full medicine list to intake so the program and your pain doctor work from the same record.

Naloxone is sold at any Maryland pharmacy without a prescription under a statewide standing order, and it is also available over the counter. In Baltimore, Bmore POWER street outreach hands out free naloxone. The city health department’s Community Risk Reduction Van offers naloxone and fentanyl test strips.

How do I pay for pain and addiction treatment in Baltimore?

Maryland Medicaid, also called Medical Assistance, covers health care through HealthChoice plans. Carelon Behavioral Health administers substance use and mental health services for the state’s public behavioral health system. Ask each program which levels of care and which opioid use disorder medicines it bills to Medicaid. Private plans are generally subject to federal parity rules. If you have no coverage, ask about state-funded treatment through the Behavioral Health Administration.

Calling 988 is the main starting point in Baltimore City. The Greater Baltimore Crisis Response System answers calls, texts and chats there and can send licensed clinicians out around the clock. Court-involved residents can use the Circuit Court’s Addictions Assessment Unit at the Mitchell Courthouse downtown, which is close to rail. Most community programs are reached by MTA bus. The national treatment referral line is free.

What should I ask a Baltimore program before starting?

Intake questions should cover how pain and substance use are handled together. Ask whether the program treats both at once and whether it can continue or start buprenorphine or methadone. Also ask whether staff will coordinate with your pain prescriber. Listings show pain services, levels of care such as outpatient, payment types, insurers, accreditation, languages and populations served. For more options, see pain and addiction treatment across Maryland or all Baltimore listings.