In House M.D., Gregory House regularly misuses Vicodin because of chronic pain from his leg injury.
Vicodin is a brand name for a combination of hydrocodone and acetaminophen. In the series, House relies on the medication to manage severe pain caused by an infarction in his right quadriceps muscle, an injury that left him with a permanent limp.
His dependence on Vicodin is a central character and plot element. It affects his judgment, relationships, employment, and medical practice, while also creating repeated conflicts with colleagues and hospital administrators.
The drug is sometimes incorrectly remembered as simply a fictional “House pill.” Vicodin is a real prescription analgesic, although the show dramatizes the consequences of House’s use and addiction for its fictional story.