[refurb]

Suboxone still works through the same receptors as morphine or heroin (see the wiki link).

One important difference is that it's a partial agonist at the mu receptors rather than a full agonist. That makes the effects someone self limiting.

[kevgnulldev]

I didn't say that it targets different receptors. I said it targets them (i.e. the same receptors) differently. I failed to go into the details of how it targets them differently (wasn't sure if that LOD was called for, or in good taste, considering that this is not a site about pharmacology or neurochemistry). I did see the wiki link... (I wouldn't have posted it if I hadn't.) Thank you for clarifying though! (BTW, I think that you meant somewhat not someone in your final sentence.)

[nitrogen]

(wasn't sure if that LOD was called for, or in good taste, considering that this is not a site about pharmacology or neurochemistry).

In my experience, detailed knowledge is always welcome on Hacker News, especially if it comes from another highly technical field outside software.

[kevgnulldev]

Totally, my error for not adding value with some additional information in my last comment. Thank you. :)

1) some introductory material on receptor theory:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Receptor_theory

Yes, I know Wikipedia, a more comprehensive intro to basic neuro is "Principles of Neural Science, 5th Ed" (http://www.mhprofessional.com/product.php?isbn=0071390111)... It's large book but the de facto standard.

2) a reference to some basic pharmacology with respect to opioid receptors that includes a summary discussion on receptor interactions (i.e. full agonists/antagonists/partial agonists):

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64236/

3) some explanation per the specifics of the mu receptor (click on this only if you are truly thirsting for knowledge on the mu receptor):

http://www.iuphar-db.org/DATABASE/ObjectDisplayForward?objec...

Have a nice night!