Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) in San Diego for Medi-Cal Adults

Medication-assisted treatment pairs FDA-approved medication with counseling and behavioral therapy. For opioid and alcohol use disorder, this combination has the strongest evidence base of any approach we have. It reduces cravings, lowers relapse rates, and for opioid use disorder it reduces the risk of fatal overdose.

Golden Coast Rehab holds California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) substance use disorder certification 370254AP for outpatient detoxification, outpatient, intensive outpatient, and medication-assisted treatment. We do not provide residential or inpatient treatment. MAT here is delivered alongside our outpatient and intensive outpatient programming, never as medication handed over in isolation, and people who need a higher level of care can compare live-in programs the county contracts with first.

What Does MAT Medication Actually Do?

For opioid use disorder, MAT medication occupies or blocks the same receptors the opioid acted on, which stops withdrawal and cravings without producing a high at therapeutic doses. That frees up the attention and stability that therapy requires. For alcohol use disorder, medication can reduce craving or reduce the reward from drinking.

What it does not do is make the underlying problem disappear. That is what the therapy is for, and it is why we do not prescribe without it.

Addressing the Objection to MAT Directly

Some people are told that taking medication means they are not really in recovery, or that it is trading one drug for another. That belief costs lives. Medication for opioid use disorder at a therapeutic dose does not produce intoxication; it produces stability, and the evidence on overdose mortality is unambiguous. If your family or your recovery community is telling you otherwise, bring them to a family session and let us talk it through with them.

How MAT Works Here

Medical evaluation

A clinician reviews your substance use history, previous treatment, medical conditions, current medications, and mental health. That determines whether medication is appropriate and which one fits. The FDA-approved medications used here for opioid and alcohol use disorders are prescribed by our Medical Director, Dr. Sanjai Mathew Thankachen, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist, who also prescribes psychiatric medication where that is clinically appropriate, so the two are managed by one person rather than by prescribers who never speak.

Starting and stabilizing

Beginning the medication with close follow-up while dosing is adjusted. Cravings and withdrawal typically settle in this phase, which is what makes the therapeutic work possible.

Medication plus therapy

Individual and group therapy through our intensive outpatient or outpatient programs, running concurrently with medication management rather than after it.

Long-term management

How long you stay on medication is a clinical decision made with you, not a fixed program rule. For many people with opioid use disorder, longer treatment is associated with better outcomes, and there is no deadline imposed here.

Why Golden Coast for MAT in San Diego

Prescribed by a board-certified psychiatrist

Medications for MAT are prescribed by our Medical Director, Dr. Sanjai Mathew Thankachen, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist who also manages psychiatric medication when needed, so one person oversees both.

DHCS-certified medication-assisted treatment

MAT operates under DHCS certification 370254AP, alongside our outpatient and intensive outpatient programs rather than as a standalone medication service.

Medication paired with real therapy

MAT here always runs alongside IOP or outpatient counseling, because medication without therapy leaves the underlying problem untouched.

No fixed timeline

How long you stay on medication is decided clinically with you, not by a program deadline.

Countywide access from one location

We serve all of San Diego County from our La Mesa facility, so MAT and your counseling stay with the same team.

Medi-Cal welcome

MAT can be covered through Drug Medi-Cal for beneficiaries who meet DMC-ODS criteria, checked with you at intake, and our roundup covers Medi-Cal MAT in San Diego.

Substances MAT Is Used For

• Opioid use disorder, including fentanyl, heroin, codeine, and prescription opioids
• Alcohol use disorder

There is currently no approved medication for stimulant use disorder. Methamphetamine and cocaine use disorders are treated with behavioral approaches, which do work.

Does MAT Include Care for Mental Health Conditions?

Yes. Psychiatric medication and medication for substance use disorder are managed together here rather than by separate prescribers who never speak. See dual diagnosis.

Does Medi-Cal Cover MAT in San Diego?

Yes. Drug Medi-Cal can cover MAT at no cost to you. Substance use treatment for Medi-Cal beneficiaries in San Diego County runs through the Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS), administered by San Diego County Behavioral Health Services rather than by your managed care plan. If you have Medi-Cal in the county, any of the four plans, and you meet DMC-ODS criteria, care here can be covered at no cost to you. See how Medi-Cal works here.

Call (858) 925-8589, answered 24 hours a day, and we will check eligibility with you. The San Diego County Access and Crisis Line is available around the clock at 1-888-724-7240.

Understanding Medication-Assisted Treatment

MAT carries more myth than any other service we provide. The facts, stated plainly.

What is medication-assisted treatment?

Medication-assisted treatment is the combination of FDA-approved medication for opioid or alcohol use disorder with counseling and behavioral therapy. It is defined in our glossary entry on MAT, and delivered here under DHCS certification 370254AP. Never as medication alone.

Is MAT trading one addiction for another?

No. MAT is not trading one addiction for another: at therapeutic doses, medication for opioid use disorder relieves withdrawal and craving without producing a high, and it substantially reduces the risk of fatal overdose. The most common myths are taken apart, with the evidence, in MAT myths and what the evidence says.

Which substances have FDA-approved MAT medications?

FDA-approved MAT medications exist for opioid use disorder and alcohol use disorder. There is currently no FDA-approved medication for methamphetamine or cocaine addiction; behavioral treatments are what the evidence supports for stimulants, and what we use.

Does MAT work alongside detox and IOP?

Yes. MAT works alongside detox and IOP rather than replacing them: medication can begin around withdrawal management, and it continues through intensive outpatient and outpatient care with the same prescriber. How that handoff is arranged starts on our outpatient detox page.

How long does MAT last?

How long MAT lasts is decided with your clinician, not by a program rule. For opioid use disorder, longer time on medication is generally associated with better outcomes, and nobody here is tapered off on a schedule that suits a program rather than the person.