In the wake of Whitney Houston’s death, many people are looking for an answer about the cause of death. Whitney had a well documented history of addiction, and there are reports that her death may be tied to her use of the prescription drug Xanax (Alprazolam). Even though it has not officially been reported as the cause of death, Xanax,like other members of the Benzodiazepine Family, is considered a drug that can cause a high addiction rate among the prescribed population.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, “Xanax may be habit forming,” and every year doctors write about 50 million Xanax prescriptions. Society is very aware of pain medication addiction, and this knowledge has lead to strong regulations on how it is dispensed. Unfortunately the enforcement of those rules for drugs like Xanax tends to be loose. This lack of regulation has allowed doctors who may not have knowledge on psychiatric disorders to dispense Xanax, regardless of a patient’s medical history.
Xanax is prescribed as a drug for intermittent relief from anxiety by essentially shutting down excitement in the brain. Since it is a drug that is prescribed with directions of “as needed,” it is up to the patient to determine when the proper moment is for taking their Xanax. Patients tend to quickly build up a tolerance to Xanax, which leads them to use more than their prescribed dose, leading to chemical dependency.
Anyone familiar with Whitney Houston knows that she struggled with addiction all through her life, however her doctors still prescribed Xanax. Michael Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter because of over prescribed anti-depressant and anxiety medications. Houston’s doctors and medical records have been subpoenaed, and through the next few weeks they will be questioned about her medication, with a strong focus on her prescriptions.
Before Michael Jackson’s death, there were over 13 cases of celebrities whose deaths were attributed to misuse of prescription drugs, including Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley. Prescriptions can be dangerous, and the standard for dispensing addictive drugs should be the same whether the drug in question is a pain killer or seemingly less harmful like Xanax.
As Houston’s doctors are being brought into the cross fire of her unknown death, they are going to be under the same microscope in society that Dr. Murray was at the time of Michael Jackson’s death. The underlying question arises: Are the drugs, Whitney Houston, or the doctors to blame regarding her dependency on Xanax?
She had a long history of drug dependency, and her doctors continued to prescribe her the medication that may have played a role in her demise. Doctors all around the country do this everyday, making it easy for every age group to become addicts with over 20,000 patients dying each year due to misuse of their medication because quick prescription refills are available. Sadly, sometimes it takes the fall of an icon to shine some light on an issue that affects so many.