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Presley Gerber Death: Dr. Drew Explains Fatal Rehab Mistake That Keeps Killing Celebrities

Dr. Drew

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Presley Gerber, the 27-year-old son of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, died of a suspected overdose while staying at a rehab center. Dr. Drew, an addiction medicine specialist, breaks down the addiction treatment Presley described in social media posts – and the "ibogaine flood dose" he received in Mexico (illegal in the USA).

"My concern is somebody gave him benzodiazepines, both Xanax and Valium," says Dr. Drew. "Those are highly addictive. They absolutely maintain the disease. And they should never be prescribed with opiates because that's how people stop breathing."

Little information has been released about Presley's death. But Dr. Drew is concerned: after working with countless stars on Celebrity Rehab, he says there is often a power imbalance when a doctor's patient is famous.

"Celebrities get lots of special care. Prince got special care. Michael Jackson got special care. How'd that work out?" warns Dr. Drew. "The standard of care is a standard for a reason. That's what should be delivered to celebrities, just like everybody else. No different. Nothing different for them."

He also shares what he has seen in patients who tried ibogaine, why he calls opiate addiction a progressive, fatal condition with a worse prognosis than most cancers, and why celebrities who get "special care" often fare worse.

From the 9/22/2026 episode of Ask Dr. Drew: https://youtube.com/live/9uDvKhr4zP8

CHAPTER MARKERS
0:00 - Presley Gerber Overdose in Rehab
1:41 - Why Patients Cannot Dictate Care
2:43 - Mixing Suboxone & Benzodiazepines
4:26 - Luxury Rehab vs. Inpatient Hospital
5:35 - The Family Disease & Al-Anon
6:47 - The Truth About Mexico Ibogaine
8:47 - Opioid Addiction Worse Than Cancer
11:15 - The "Last Hurrah" Overdose Risk
12:50 - When Treatment Goes Wrong

20 Comments

@toddgoogle4387 12 days ago

Drug addict here with only 8 months of sobriety. I feel so much better and I love life again.

@wayne6551 13 days ago (edited)

I am getting so tired of hearing about death from drugs. 25 years clean from H and many, many other substances. This is truly heartbreaking. This kid was talking about drug recipes like creating a gourmet menu. Lost 63 friends in my life to ods. I don't understand why (with all their money) they...the families couldn't pack up and move to Switzerland or the Faroes and lay low in lock down for at least 2 or 3 years. Today people depend on physicians....just give them a pill. If I had a child going through this I would go to drastic measures to save a life. Willing to go to prison for it if charged..THIS HAS GOT TO STOP. Please pray for his mom & dad. I witnessed my mom bury my little sister who was 19. She died within 6 months. BROKEN ❤ DO EXIST. Please understand I have been through HELL. $600.00 a day habit for 21 years. Educated college degrees. I finally put my hands up and released the handcuffs. Flew across the country and went through HELL voluntarily. No meds. I wanted to see HELL so I could visualize HEAVEN. 1 time 4 me. Relief...I will never see HELL again. Life is hard..but at least I am sober, by the GRACE OF GOD.

@thepracticaltravelers7 13 days ago

He started modeling and traveling internationally at 14? Sorry but in this country we have a toxic culture of treating children like adults way too early on. Especially rich or famous people.

@karenwillis9563 13 days ago (edited)

I am a medical detoxification nurse from New Zealand. We have patients consuming large amounts of illicit substances and or alcohol entering for a detox. Overnight I am constantly checking whether respiratory rates are dropping or a patient is deteriorating. Then we move quickly with medical or psychiatric reviews - triage care. Moving them to emergency departments for advanced life saving care. I am very sad for this young man, my thoughts are with his family.

@TammyBlevins-u6h 13 days ago

I lost my brother to an overdose. We think was fentanyl laced. I know who sold it but can’t prove it. Absolutely the saddest time of my life.

@1ceQu33N 13 days ago

If you are struggling with mental health, go to one main doctor — or one small team — who knows every medicine you take and owns the plan. That person decides what stays, what comes off, and what is too dangerous to mix.
What Presley described was the opposite.

Presley said he had seen about 15 different psychiatrists. Each one added pills. No one was in charge of the whole picture. That is how someone ends up on many strong drugs at once with no single plan.

Too many cooks in the kitchen.

@diannehernandez1450 13 days ago

Dr. Drew, it’s not only celebrities. It’s everywhere. The difference is we only hear about the celebrities. I know many people who have died of an overdose. One family lost 3 beautiful daughters.

@lorivybihal5385 13 days ago

This kid was on so many meds it's crazy. Such a shame

@cellison9414 13 days ago

I know a man who finally relented and allowed the family to drive him to a treatment facility. Before they left he loaded himself up to the max...had a massive stroke, heart attack, in the car. He died months later in a nursing home. I think it's critical to take this seriously - right before going into a facility for treatment can be a highly dangerous time for addicts.

@Dan-q6v1v 13 days ago

At 14 modeling...he was critical of his looks. It is a very critical industry.
He ended up with Anorexia.
Too much at a very young age. He was pushed as a kid into modeling instead of being a kid.

@angelatakano6072 12 days ago

Poor child, may he rest in peace

@victoriasansome4049 12 days ago

My daughter was addicted for years, yet at Kaiser, her doctor kept giving her so many addictive drugs (about 5-7 different meds) each and every month! I hated it! She ultimately died on Nov 15, 2022. Now my life will never be the same💔

@Pebbles_Pig 13 days ago

Dear Dr. Drew I lost both of my Nieces, both of my Sister's Children, to the hideous addiction to Opioids. As losing a Child is, in my opinion, the worst death scenario there is, losing them to drug addiction is just watching these beautiful souls self destruct day by day. They don't realize how much they are hurting those that they leave behind, the
people who loved them the most.

@erinkenney4051 12 days ago

It’s so unfortunate that so many medical professionals just DO NOT understand addiction and the risks of mixing medications, withdrawing from medications, etc.. Not to mention the stigma and the negative mindset pertaining to the disease as a whole. If someone gets cancer it’s a tragedy but an individual suffering from addiction / multiple addictions is viewed much differently

@projoebiochem 13 days ago (edited)

People that have everything, but that leaves a hole in their lives that they can't fill. It's so sad. His family had every resource to help him, and I'm sure they did everything that they could, but some battles aren't won.

@777-4u2c 13 days ago

That's so sad, I'm so sorry to hear this what a tragedy. Prayers for the family😢🙏❤

@torchup 13 days ago

It ain't the opiates and meds. It's the depression that cannot be detoxed for many and is with you until your luck runs out with the meds you're abusing to fight off the overwhelming depression.