Gregory House depends on Vicodin, a fictionalized presentation of a real prescription pain medication, in House M.D.
House uses Vicodin to manage chronic pain caused by an infarction in the quadriceps muscle of his right thigh. The injury leaves him with a limp and becomes a major part of his identity and daily life. His dependence on the drug is also a continuing source of professional, legal, and personal conflict.
Vicodin is the brand name historically associated in the United States with a combination of hydrocodone and acetaminophen. The series uses House’s medication use as a dramatic element, but it sometimes compresses or stylizes medical details for storytelling.
The drug should not be confused with the cause of House’s leg injury. The infarction caused the chronic pain; Vicodin is the medication he takes for that pain. OxyContin and Percocet are different opioid products, so they are not the canonical answer for House’s signature medication.