Gregory House is addicted to Vicodin for much of House M.D.
Vicodin is a prescription painkiller combining hydrocodone and acetaminophen. In the series, House uses it to manage chronic leg pain caused by muscle infarction, but his use develops into dependence and becomes a recurring medical, professional, and personal problem.
House’s addiction is not presented simply as a character quirk. It affects his judgment, relationships, employment, and treatment decisions. Several storylines involve attempts to stop using Vicodin, rehabilitation, withdrawal, relapse, or the consequences of obtaining and misusing prescriptions.
Viewers sometimes identify the drug only as a generic opioid, but Vicodin is the specific medication repeatedly named in the show. The program also depicts periods when House uses other substances, yet Vicodin remains his defining drug throughout most of the series.