Vicodin is House’s best-known prescription painkiller in House M.D.
In the series, Gregory House takes Vicodin to manage severe chronic leg pain caused by an infarction in his quadriceps muscle. The medication contains hydrocodone and acetaminophen, although the fictional portrayal focuses mainly on House’s dependence and its effect on his life and work.
House’s Vicodin use is a continuing character conflict rather than a one-episode plot device. Colleagues, friends, and administrators repeatedly confront him about addiction, withdrawal, treatment, and the risks of practicing medicine while dependent on a controlled drug.
Vicodin is often confused with other medications appearing in the series, especially methadone, which House uses during an attempt to control his pain without Vicodin. The show’s medical storylines are fictionalized, and real medication use carries risks that should not be inferred from television drama.