Gregory House regularly misuses Vicodin in House M.D. Vicodin is a prescription combination of hydrocodone and acetaminophen, and the show uses House’s dependence on it as a major character element.
House takes the medication to manage severe chronic leg pain caused by an infarction in his quadriceps muscle. The pain affects his gait, contributes to his use of a cane, and shapes many of his personal and professional decisions. His reliance on Vicodin also creates conflicts with hospital administrators, colleagues, and addiction specialists.
The series treats House’s drug use as both a medical problem and a dramatic symbol of his attempts to control pain and remain functional. It does not mean that every patient with chronic pain takes Vicodin, nor that the drug is a universal treatment for similar conditions.
Viewers sometimes identify the medicine only as a generic opioid. In the show, however, the repeatedly named brand is Vicodin, making that the specific canonical answer.