What is Buprenorphine? Buprenorphine is a powerful opioid medication that's designed to treat opioid addiction and manage chronic pain. Classified as a partial opioid agonist, it works a bit differently than most other opioids. Mechanism of Action: Buprenorphine's unique property lies in its dual action: it activates the opioid receptors in the brain (like full opioid agonists) but does so to a ..