Gregory House regularly takes Vicodin in House M.D. The prescription painkiller is central to the character’s chronic-leg-pain storyline and to many of the show’s conflicts.
Vicodin is a brand name for a combination of hydrocodone and paracetamol, also called acetaminophen. In the series, House uses it to manage severe pain caused by an infarction in the muscles of his right thigh. His dependence becomes a recurring medical, personal, and professional problem.
Viewers sometimes substitute other opioid pain medicines because the show depicts addiction, withdrawal, and attempts at treatment. However, House’s signature medication is Vicodin. The medicine is not simply a character accessory: it affects his relationships, employment, medical judgment, and willingness to accept help.
The series also distinguishes House’s physical dependence and addiction-related behavior from the underlying cause of his pain. Those issues become especially important in storylines involving rehabilitation and attempts to stop taking the drug.