Presley Gerber’s death at age 27 has renewed questions about overdose risk, withdrawal complications and the challenges of addiction recovery.
asserted
death → renew → recovery
The son of model Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber died Sunday at a California rehabilitation facility, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office records.
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son → die → records
Presley's death was confirmed by his mother’s representative to Fox News Digital, who shared a statement from the family: "The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time."
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family → confirm → time
While an official cause of death has not yet been confirmed, audio recordings obtained by People suggest that police received a 911 call Sunday morning reporting a cardiac arrest at a facility in the 1000 block of Berkeley Street.
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police → confirm → Street
A separate dispatch identified the response as a potential overdose.
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dispatch → identify → overdose
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office later confirmed that an autopsy had been completed, but the cause of death remained undetermined pending further testing.
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cause → confirm → testing
Gerber had spoken publicly over the years about his struggles with substance use and mental health.
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Gerber → speak → use
Nicholas Kardaris, Ph.D., CEO and chief clinical officer of the New York Center for Living in Manhattan and a clinical professor at Stony Brook Medicine’s School of Social Welfare, spoke with Fox News Digital about what families should know about relapse, overdose risk and seeking help for a loved one.
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families → speak → one
As Gerber’s official cause of death has not yet been released, Kardaris — who has not treated Presley Gerber and is not connected to the case — cautioned against drawing conclusions from the fact that he died at a rehabilitation facility.
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he → release → facility
Possible explanations could include an acute medical or cardiac event, an undiagnosed condition or a medication-related complication, he said.
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he → include → event
People in residential treatment facilities may have complex medical histories, and some conditions may not be immediately apparent when someone enters a program.
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someone → have → program
"Younger people can sometimes die suddenly, and we don’t know whether they had an underlying medical issue," Kardaris said.
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Kardaris → die → issue
"It’s not impossible to have a medication-related event, particularly if someone has an underlying heart disorder," he continued.
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he → ’ → disorder
"Certain medications can trigger a cardiac episode.
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medications → trigger → episode
"
Entering treatment does not necessarily mean that a person’s issues have been resolved or that no danger exists, Kardaris emphasized.
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Kardaris → enter → treatment
"People are in rehab because they’re struggling with addiction.
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they → struggle → addiction
It doesn’t mean they’re cured of their addiction," he said.
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he → mean → addiction
While treatment facilities work to create a controlled environment, they cannot eliminate every risk associated with addiction, withdrawal, relapse or medical complications, according to Kardaris.
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they → work → Kardaris
"People are in rehab because they’re struggling with addiction.
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they → struggle → addiction
It doesn’t mean they’re cured of their addiction."
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they → mean → addiction
"Facilities take great pains to make sure substances don’t come in, but it’s not a perfect system."
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it → take → pains
He stressed that this is a general observation about treatment settings and not an indication of what occurred in Gerber’s case.
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what → stress → case
When withdrawal poses a risk
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withdrawal → pose → risk
Another potential risk during rehab is withdrawal itself, which can range from uncomfortable to life-threatening depending on the substance involved and the person’s level of physical dependence, according to Kardaris.
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which → range → Kardaris
"People can die from withdrawal, but the substances that are most dangerous to withdraw [from] without proper medical supervision are benzodiazepines, such as Valium or Xanax, and alcohol," he told Fox News Digital.
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he → die → Digital
While opioid withdrawal can be extremely uncomfortable, it is generally not fatal by itself, the expert said.
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expert → say → itself
Benzodiazepine withdrawal can trigger seizures, delirium and other life-threatening complications.
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withdrawal → trigger → seizures
The FDA warns that abruptly stopping or reducing drugs such as Xanax or Valium too quickly can cause serious withdrawal reactions, including seizures.
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stopping → warn → seizures
"Someone might disclose heroin use but not mention that they’re also withdrawing from a benzodiazepine, such as Valium," Kardaris noted.
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Kardaris → disclose → Valium
"If they don’t receive medication to treat that withdrawal, they can have a seizure that can lead to fatal complications.
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that → receive → complications
One of the most dangerous periods for someone with opioid use disorder may come after detox because a person’s tolerance may have decreased — increasing the risk of overdose if they return to a previously used amount, he added.
"
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he → come → amount
If someone relapses after rehab, they may use the same amount they were using before treatment — but their tolerance has gone down, and that amount can now be fatal."
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amount → relapse → treatment
What to know about ibogaine
Gerber had previously posted on social media about undergoing an ibogaine treatment in Mexico.
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Gerber → know → Mexico
Kardaris cautioned that ibogaine is not FDA-approved for any medical use in the U.S.
Although it has been studied experimentally as a possible treatment for opioid use disorder, its safety and effectiveness remain uncertain.
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safety → caution → disorder
Kardaris grouped ibogaine with other psychedelic or psychoactive substances that have drawn public interest.
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that → group → interest
"Ketamine, ayahuasca and ibogaine are psychoactive or psychedelic treatments that have become increasingly popular," he said.
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he → become → ?
"There is some research indicating potential benefits, but they remain largely unregulated.
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they → be → benefits
Ketamine is FDA-approved as an anesthetic but is not approved to treat psychiatric disorders, although some clinicians use it off-label in mental health settings.
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clinicians → approve → settings
Ibogaine and ayahuasca are not FDA-approved treatments in the U.S., and the evidence and regulatory oversight vary considerably among these substances.
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evidence → approve → substances
Overall, Kardaris described the field as unsettled.
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Kardaris → describe → field
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
