Whitney Houston’s Death May Not Have Been in Vain

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Whitney Houston’s death might be “old news” already, but I still think her death may not have been in vain.

Because Whitney was a star, we were treated to hearsay before facts.  She drank in the morning, in a public place, and according to some observers may have been behaving a bit strangely.

There is an old screener for alcoholism called the “CAGE” questionnaire.  It’s named after the four questions that presumably even a primary care physician — who has little room left in an overtaxed memory — could remember.

The fourth of these questions involves drinking in the morning – what some may call having an “eye-opener.”  We know that the most intense withdrawal from alcohol comes on in about 48 hours and brings with it a maximum risk of seizure. But the first sensations of withdrawal come easily the “morning after” and can be minimized with morning drinking.  Some British pub frequenters call this “the hair of the dog that bit you.”

Given Whitney’s alleged erratic behavior — not to mention the complaint that the drinks had allegedly been watered down — well, we may be at the very least looking at a clinically significant alcohol problem.

But wait, there’s more.  She had allegedly been taking “Xanax … or a drug like it.”  As far as I’m concerned these are suboptimal drugs at best.  At the very least, nobody should drink on them.  I generally avoid starting patients on them, telling patients who specifically request them that it is not that different from prescribing booze.

I am generally empathic, especially toward veterans.  I smile now to remember how a rather old and tired looking veteran said in a public meeting that by cutting off his Xanax the department of Veterans Affairs had made it necessary for him to drink a fair amount of whiskey.  And of course, for which no hospital or insurance would ever pay.

As for Whitney, it is said that her prescriptions came from a Beverly Hills’”Pharmacy and Grill.”  I have a negative visceral reaction to anyplace that is called a “pharmacy and grill.”  I’ll bet their prices are higher than the cafeteria section of a Walmart. To me, a pharmacy is very much like an elite grocery of sorts.  And mixing this with a grill seems strange.  “How about some Prozac elixir on my pork ribs?”

Look, I really am sorry.  People are not supposed to die when they are young, successful, talented, and addicted.  It seems as if this woman could have had some problems that she could not get a grip on. Granted, she was in a high-celebrity bracket — which sometimes can be a risk factor.  It is hard to get insight into such folks.  Or she may have had a self destructive streak since earlier in the story.  I am not enough of a celebrity watcher to say which.

People try to blame prescription drugs too easily, I think.  By the way, they say she did not seem to be doctor shopping — which is a good thing.

Perhaps her death will serve to call attention to what may be common problems and to help others see their own problems with a clearer eye.  If so, maybe – just maybe — her death was not in vain.

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