Dr. House regularly takes Vicodin in House M.D.
Vicodin is the brand name for a prescription combination of hydrocodone and paracetamol, called acetaminophen in the United States. In the series, House uses it to manage severe chronic leg pain caused by an infarction in his quadriceps muscle.
The medication is more than a character detail: House’s dependence on it drives major conflicts involving his health, judgment, employment, and relationships. His colleagues repeatedly confront him about his use, while House insists that controlling the pain is necessary for him to work.
Viewers sometimes identify House’s drug as OxyContin or simply call it a generic opioid. Those answers do not match the show’s canonical medication. Vicodin is the specific brand repeatedly associated with House, although the broader medical issue is opioid dependence. The series uses this storyline to connect House’s physical disability with his emotional isolation and self-destructive behavior.