Methadone is a synthetic opioid agonist, with a long duration of action. Because it can stay in the body for up to and over a day, it's often used to detoxify those addicted to heroin, and/or other shorter-acting opiates or opioids. It's also used in pain management, albeit at far lower doses than those used to treat addiction (unless the patient became addicted as a result of pain management).
In The Softer Side, Gregory House turns to methadone for pain-relief, and experiences a near-miraculous recovery, being able to walk on his wounded leg without support, and seeming much happier as a side effect. However, the drug also causes House to pass out repeatedly, as well as impairing his judgement, and he switches back to Vicodin, choosing to endure the pain rather than make further simple mistakes that might compromise his work.
It should be noted that, in real life, methadone is often a lifeline to those who have become addicted to opiates (be it through "simple" addiction or due to a chronic pain condition, as is implied the case is with House), and opens up the option of a life free of the mental, physical and financial ups and downs associated with the experiences of those who are dependant on another opioids for whatever reason. Given methadone's very long half life (when compared with other opioids), it is also nowhere near as dangerous as is implied at various times in The Softer Side, specifically when therapy is being overseen by an appropriate medical doctor.
Though attitudes still can vary from country to country, in the Western World Opioid/Opiate Substitution Therapy (OST) has been widely recognised as a safe therapy for decades, as it is a program which enables opiate/opioid dependent persons a safer pathway to work through their addiction and/or chronic pain issues, without the (often severe) physical detox/withdrawal symptoms with which chronic abuse of opioids is often accompanied.
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