# Treatment guides

Opioid Treatment Directory has 6 guides on opioid treatment providers: methadone programmes and buprenorphine prescribers and clinics, grouped by country.

## General

- [How intake works at an opioid treatment service](https://opioidtreatment.fyi/guides/how-intake-works.md): Intake usually means an assessment interview, a medical exam with lab tests, and a treatment plan before your first dose, and most services accept self-referrals, so you can phone them directly.
- [How to use this directory well](https://opioidtreatment.fyi/guides/how-to-use-this-directory.md): Filter by medication and setting, phone the service to confirm details before you travel, and treat every listing as a record to check, not a recommendation.
- [Methadone or buprenorphine: what is the difference](https://opioidtreatment.fyi/guides/methadone-vs-buprenorphine.md): Methadone is taken daily under supervision at a clinic, while buprenorphine is often taken at home after the first doses, and the right choice depends on your health and history, so a clinician should decide with you.
- [Take-home doses: what they are and who gets them](https://opioidtreatment.fyi/guides/take-home-doses.md): Take-home doses let stable clients take methadone or buprenorphine at home instead of attending daily, and each programme sets its own criteria, so ask the clinic what counts as stable there.
- [Telehealth for opioid treatment: US rules and what to ask elsewhere](https://opioidtreatment.fyi/guides/telehealth-rules.md): In the US, clinicians can start buprenorphine over telehealth, including audio-only visits, under a permanent federal rule, while other countries set their own rules, so confirm with a local prescriber.
- [What to bring to your first visit](https://opioidtreatment.fyi/guides/what-to-bring.md): Bring photo ID, a list of every medicine you take, your health or insurance card, and a way to contact you, and phone ahead because each service asks for slightly different papers.

> **Not medical advice.** This site is a directory of opioid treatment providers. It is not medical advice, and a listing is not an endorsement of any clinic. Talk to a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified clinician before you start, stop or change treatment. Listings can be out of date: confirm opening times and services with the provider before you travel. To report a mistake, write to hello@opioidtreatment.fyi. In an emergency call your local emergency number: 911 in the US and Canada (or call or text 988), 999 in the UK and Ireland (or call 111 in the UK, 112 in Ireland), 000 in Australia, 111 in New Zealand. For overdose, call emergency services first.