Gregory House commonly misuses Vicodin in House M.D. Vicodin is a brand name for a combination of hydrocodone and paracetamol, also called acetaminophen, and the series repeatedly links House’s use of it to the chronic pain in his leg.
House’s dependence is a continuing character and plot issue rather than a minor background detail. His colleagues worry about his escalating use, and several storylines examine withdrawal, rehabilitation, deception, and the effects of addiction on his judgment and relationships.
The medication is sometimes confused with other opioid painkillers because similar drugs appear in medical dramas. In the series, however, Vicodin is the specific drug most strongly associated with House. Its presence also echoes the Sherlock Holmes inspiration, since Holmes is famously associated with drug use in Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories.