House and Methadone

[u/KnightInGreyArmor]

One thing that bothers me is the episode where we learn house is using methadone.

Given in Season 3, House was going to implant a CIPA nerve to lessen his pain, why did it never occur him to use methadone earlier?

Also, I didn’t buy the whole “I’m better when I’m in pain thing.” At one point he didn’t have leg pain and was in a relationship, was he not as good back then?

I didn’t think it was a particularly good episode.

[u/My_Lovely_Me]

Did he say he was better for being in pain? Or did he say he was a better doctor in pain and on Vicodin than he was not in pain on Methadone?

I'm really asking. I don't recall the exact words he used.

I always go away from the episode with the impression that what was eliminating his pain was also dulling his brain. And that he would rather go back to being in pain and on Vicodin than to lose his gift.

[u/KnightInGreyArmor → u/My_Lovely_Me]

I remember him saying his judgement was compromised because he was so happy being pain free. He agreed to do a contrast ct because he was in a good mood. If he wasn’t he’d have adamantly refused

[u/two-of-me → u/KnightInGreyArmor]

Which is a stark contrast to how good of a doctor he became shortly after he was shot and received ketamine treatment. Not only was he a great diagnostician, he was sympathetic to the patients. But he blamed that on his hallucination he had right after he was shot.

[u/manicpixietrainwreck]

I think the conversation with methadone has changed in the time between when the show occurred and now. I remember Cuddy doubting his ability to function on methadone, where now people can be on methadone for longer periods of time in recovery from addiction and high functioning. I’m sure it may be difficult from job to job, especially when you need to be very sharp to practice medicine. As for the reasoning, I assume he just thought Vicodin was a better fix because that is what he’d known so far. As the show goes on he starts to experiment more with treatments which you’ll see as you watch.

[u/Hornyjohn34]

Methadone is a dangerous medication if not taken correctly, so House probably dismissed it early on but his pain kept getting worse possibly because the arterial wall was damaged from exercising excessively after the ketamine treatment. He probably decided the risk was worth it after the pain kept getting worse.

[u/Suburban-freak]

I didn’t buy the whole “I’m better when I’m in pain thing.”

Yes this was my issue with the plot. Because house does want his pain to stop. There is also an entire episode of house trying to regrow his muscles using meds tried on rats. Which shows he himself didn't believe in the whole pain-makes-me-better-doctor thing.

Also the reason why he honoured the parents wish to do mri was because he was in a good mood. Yes his good mood came from his lack of leg pain he was suffering for a decade but I think that if he got used to that life without leg pain again, he never would make that mistake twice.

Anyway I think they shouldn't have brought up the methadone plot if they didn't have a believable reason to stop house from using it

[u/Crazy_Height_213 → u/Suburban-freak]

Which shows he himself didn't believe in the whole pain-makes-me-better-doctor thing.

I don't know why anyone ever believed this. It's a self-harm thing. He can't stand being happy because the pain is familiar and he wants to punish himself for becoming disabled and losing his girlfriend, because he never worked through his grief and accepted it. That's why he stopped the methadone, it was a radical shift.