FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS

Yes, it is safe during and after pregnancy.

Yes, Washington law allows teens 13+ to make some medical decisions without parental consent, including those about medications for opioid use disorder.

Overdoses involving bupe are rare. They usually occur among people with low or no opioid tolerance or who have used multiple depressants (drugs that slow breathing). To reduce your risk of overdose while taking bupe, avoid using depressants, such as alcohol, sedatives and tranquilizers.

Talk to your provider about using bupe with other drugs if that’s relevant for you.

Bupe prescriptions are covered by Medicaid. For private insurance, check with your carrier for specifics on what’s covered.

Coupons may be available for certain cases via the WA Telebupe Hotline.

Different options work for different people. What matters is finding ways to stay safer and move toward your goals.

Yes. If you are in opioid withdrawal after being given naloxone (Narcan), buprenorphine can help treat your withdrawal. It is safe to use after an overdose and can reduce your risk of having a repeat overdose in the next 24 hours.

You should take bupe for as long as it helps you meet your goals, which can mean years or the rest of your life. Research shows better outcomes for people who take bupe for longer periods of time.

Counseling is not mandatory to get a bupe prescription. However, some people find that bupe works best in combination with counseling as well as behavioral therapies, and potential other supports for your health and wellbeing. The WA Telebupe hotline can help connect you with ongoing care and supportive resources once you get a bupe prescription.

The WA Telebupe hotline serves anyone in the state of Washington who is 13 years of age or older and has opioid use disorder (OUD), including people who are pregnant.

Speaking with a provider through the hotline is a free, non-billable service for everyone. However, you and your insurance company will pay for the cost of the prescription, which can vary with insurance coverage. If you don’t have insurance, hotline staff can provide coupons to help decrease the cost of your prescription as much as possible.

Yes, hotline doctors can provide bridge prescriptions to last until your next appointment with your provider. However, they cannot provide prescriptions for longer than 2 weeks at a time.

Yes, you can expect supportive, respectful and confidential care when you contact the hotline. Hotline staff are here to help, no matter where you are in your recovery. The hotline strictly follows all HIPAA protocols, meaning they follow the same rules that all doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies do on how securely they handle your health information. Patients also agree to the privacy rights and responsibilities of being a UW Medicine patient.

This can vary by call volume and provider schedules, but most patients can speak with a provider within an hour of calling the hotline. If the provider determines that a prescription is appropriate, the prescription is sent electronically to the pharmacy shortly after your visit. Pharmacy stock and processing times vary, but most patients can get their prescription the same day that they call the hotline. If you call outside of your pharmacy’s hours or shortly before their closing time, you will likely need to wait until the next day to pick up your prescription.

Family and loved ones are an instrumental part of recovery. Hotline coordinators and providers are happy to provide resources and information on treatment options if you call for a loved one. If they wish to start buprenorphine through the hotline, they will need to speak directly with staff by phone or a telehealth visit.

You can also give them the hotline number and have them call directly. Everyone’s recovery process is unique. If your loved one does not wish to speak with the hotline, we encourage them to call when they feel ready.

Hotline staff are here to help when you urgently need a prescription or want to get started on buprenorphine quickly. However, the goal is to connect you to an ongoing provider or clinic that can help you long-term. The hotline is not intended to provide long-term care or refills of buprenorphine. Dedicated linkage-to-care coordinators will follow up with you within 72 hours to check in on how you’re doing and discuss options for ongoing care.

We are only able to prescribe buprenorphine through the hotline 3 times within a 3-month period. If a hotline provider cannot prescribe it to you, they can provide other resources and assess what barriers you are facing in connecting with ongoing care.

The hotline cannot prescribe buprenorphine solely for Kratom or 7-OH use, but staff can provide referrals for clinics that do.

Federal regulations prohibit receiving treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) from multiple providers simultaneously. This means hotline providers cannot prescribe medications if you are in a treatment center, inpatient facility, dialysis unit, emergency department, or similar setting. However, you’re welcome to call the hotline once you are no longer under their care.

The hotline only prescribes sublingual buprenorphine in the form of tablets or films at this time. Hotline providers do not offer methadone, naltrexone, or injectable buprenorphine through the hotline, but are happy to provide personalized referrals to places that offer whichever form of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) you are seeking.