Gregory House regularly takes Vicodin in the television series House.
Vicodin is a brand name for a prescription combination of hydrocodone and paracetamol, also called acetaminophen. In the show, House uses it to manage chronic pain caused by an infarction in the quadriceps muscle of his right leg. The injury occurred before the series begins and permanently affects his walking.
House’s dependence on Vicodin is one of the program’s central character conflicts. His medical knowledge lets him understand the risks, but his pain, isolation, and self-destructive behavior repeatedly lead to misuse. Several storylines involve attempts to stop taking the drug, treatment, relapse, and consequences at work.
The medication is sometimes confused with other opioid painkillers because many prescription drugs appear in medical dramas. Vicodin is the specific drug associated with House. Its U.S. formulation historically combined hydrocodone with acetaminophen, making prolonged or excessive use dangerous for more than one medical reason.