Dr. Gregory House becomes dependent on Vicodin in House M.D.
Vicodin is a brand name for a prescription combination of hydrocodone and paracetamol, also called acetaminophen. In the series, House uses the medication to manage chronic leg pain caused by an infarction in his quadriceps muscle. His reliance on it becomes a major source of conflict with colleagues, hospital administrators, and himself.
House’s pain and addiction are part of the character’s backstory rather than incidental details. They help explain his guarded behavior, irritability, and willingness to take medical risks, while the show also depicts the professional and personal consequences of dependence. His use changes over the course of the series, including periods of withdrawal and relapse.
The drug is often remembered as a generic painkiller, but the specific medication repeatedly associated with House is Vicodin. Other opioid medicines appear in medical dramas, yet they are not the signature prescription connected to this character.