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http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/obi ... 53053070/1

RIP Whitney Houston. So sad. Surprising, and yet not surprising. What an amazing voice, and she threw it all away for drugs.

I just heard it on ESPN.

Inside Edition or ET showed her on a segment this week, and she looked horrible. RIP Whitney!

Her rendition from the Bodyguard.. I Will Always Love you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QaI-M9sxW4

Amazing Voice! So Sad! Prayers and vibes for the Houston and Brown families.

Tragic waste of a talent. Very sad, she had an amazing voice.

So sad. Such a waste!!!

Sad for sure! Such talent snuffed out!

RIP Whitney. Shocked to hear about this.

I'd say her version of the national anthem at the Super Bowl right after the first Gulf war was her signature moment... I remember being completely blown away....

Turk wrote:I'd say her version of the national anthem at the Super Bowl right after the first Gulf war was her signature moment... I remember being completely blown away....

Agreed.

I am so sad for her daughter and family. Rest in peace, Whitney.

I watched CNN and Fox News last night, with all the celebrities calling in and commenting on the passing of Whitney.

There will be a tribute to Whitney tonight by Jennifer Hudson and Chaka Khan, and possibly others. I know Clive Davis, mogul record producer is just devasted on the loss of his famed and beloved, Whitney.

Thoughts, prayers and vibes to the family, fans and those in attendance of tonights Grammy awards. As they say in HOllywood, THE SHOW MUST GO ON.

RIP, and Gone too soon.

A report this morning mentioned that the possible cause of death, drowning?
I suppose a respiratory failure could cause a flood of fluids in the lungs.
RIP

captmojo wrote:A report this morning mentioned that the possible cause of death, drowning?
I suppose a respiratory failure could cause a flood of fluids in the lungs.
RIP

I just read a report that says she was in the tub...people in the hotel suit became concerned when she was there for over an hour, entered the room and found her underwater. CPR was attempted by a body guard.

It seems she was drinking and taking Xanax. Not a good combination.

Not to sound heartless, but Xanax tastes better with Bourbon.

I'm sorry.

It's all so incredibly sad. Barbra Streisand said it best, I think: "She had everything, beauty, a magnificent voice. How sad her gifts could not bring her the same happiness they brought us."

captmojo wrote:Not to sound heartless, but Xanax tastes better with Bourbon.

I'm sorry.

I hope this doesn't come across as heartless, but...

Whitney Houston was an icon of my generation. Very sad indeed, and I feel for her family. RIP.

That said, if this starts an outcry about prescription meds I may puke. I'm already hearing people talk about the need to put MORE regulations on controlled prescription meds such as narcotic pain relievers and Xanax. Give me a break. Michael Jackson pops off and there is outcry, reglulations, and suddenly the medical community is under attack and doctors are scared shitless to prescribe meds to many in the general population that really need them.

Now this, and I'm sure more screams of "Prescription med abuse is a problem" will follow. More regulations. Stricter enforcement. All this, yet no outcry or regulation when a celebrity (or any of the more than 100,000 deaths alcohol contributes to) checks out due to alcohol abuse.

The bottom line? People have a right to the drugs of their choice. Does that sound crazy? It's not up to the government to enforce how we choose to remove pain or feel good. Millions choose alcohol every day. Alcohol contributes to more than 100,000 deaths each year. No regulation (other than you must be over 21). How would it be different if pot was legalized (regulate it, yes). Or pain killers (regulate it, yes). If you drive, or go out and harm someone else, then you pay the penalty just like you do if you abuse alcohol in that same way (DUI). That's fair.

If you destroy your own life with the stuff, so be it - as long as you aren't breaking the law and hurting others physically while doing so. You wanna fuck up your life? Go for it. There are a million ways to do it, drugs or not. Again, the exact same with alcohol, which would easily qualify as a controlled substance if just released as a drug today. This may also sound crazy, but unlike alcohol (I'm not anti-alcohol, by the way), drugs like Xanax and pain killers, when used correctly, actually can help people perform normally in society.

To sum up (and this only is the tip of the iceberg on how I feel about it), the LAW or Government should NOT regulate how we (the general population) choose to feel good.

"Sorry son, but you're trying to feel good tonight with something other than alcohol. Why I bet you were going to feel good while sitting on the couch and watching reruns of Mannix! Can't have that. We're using our millions of dollars of resources and hauling your ass in!"

It's stupid. Again, I'm not saying flat out legalize it. Just don't make it damn near impossible for the general population, many who do need it, to get it. And only punish those doctors who show extreme neglect. Okay, so Michael Jackson and Whitney kicked the bucket (the latter allegedly), with the aide of prescription meds. They are celebrities. If you come down harder on the medical community only the general population will pay the price.

This isn't about the rich and famous. Celebrities and those with money are gonna get theirs, no matter what the shockwaves of this do to medical community. Celebrities will NOT be denied. Many of the normal folk who are in need WILL be.

I guess you could say I take the Libertarian view on drugs as a whole. Anyway, sorry to rant.

I'm EarlJam and I approve of this message.

-EarlJam

Gotta disagree a little on this one, bro. I spend 1/3 to 2/3 of my time caring for people who are hooked on Xanax and other benzos. The majority of them have been legally prescribed the meds for anxiety despite the evidence that benzos are only appropriate for short-term treatment of anxiety disorders. I prescribe them in a crisis and have a handful of patients who use them on rare occasions, not every day. I resent the prescribers who allow their patients to become dependent on benzos when there are much safer and superior treatments available. It's lazy prescribing in my opinion. There is little that is more satisfying for me in my practice than freeing a patient from benzo dependence. Their anxiety decreases because they are no longer in withdrawal between doses; they have more energy and less depression. What many fail to realize, and few clinicians share with their patients, is that benzos are alcohol in a pill because they act on the same part of the brain in the same way alcohol does. They are also more addictive and you can get a DUI on a benzo just like you can with alcohol.

I don't believe government regulation is really the answer to this problem, but I do feel prescribers should be held accountable for allowing patients to become dependent when there are better alternatives. Pain management should be handled by pain management experts because there is a long-term role for pain killers.

Finally no one should ever mix alcohol with benzos or opiates. Off my soap box. GO DUKE!

DukePA wrote:Gotta disagree a little on this one, bro. I spend 1/3 to 2/3 of my time caring for people who are hooked on Xanax and other benzos. The majority of them have been legally prescribed the meds for anxiety despite the evidence that benzos are only appropriate for short-term treatment of anxiety disorders. I prescribe them in a crisis and have a handful of patients who use them on rare occasions, not every day. I resent the prescribers who allow their patients to become dependent on benzos when there are much safer and superior treatments available. It's lazy prescribing in my opinion. There is little that is more satisfying for me in my practice than freeing a patient from benzo dependence. Their anxiety decreases because they are no longer in withdrawal between doses; they have more energy and less depression. What many fail to realize, and few clinicians share with their patients, is that benzos are alcohol in a pill because they act on the same part of the brain in the same way alcohol does. They are also more addictive and you can get a DUI on a benzo just like you can with alcohol.

I don't believe government regulation is really the answer to this problem, but I do feel prescribers should be held accountable for allowing patients to become dependent when there are better alternatives. Pain management should be handled by pain management experts because there is a long-term role for pain killers.

Finally no one should ever mix alcohol with benzos or opiates. Off my soap box. GO DUKE!

Sis,

Interesting perspective and info, thanks. I don't think we are as far apart as you may think. Your paragraph beginning with "I don't believe government...." I agree with most all of that. If doctors are prescribing recklessly, then okay. Or if patients are using recklessly (driving, causing public trouble), then okay. Same rules as with alcohol apply. I am NOT for flat out recreational use. I just see a bit of hyprocracy (sp) with alcohol. An honest look shows alcohol to be a very dangerous, very harmful drug on its own (again, not that I'm against it).

I just don't want to see a case where people who really do need some pain meds, or anxiety meds, be denied because celebrities in the news keep abusing it (I know normal folk abuse them too). Why can't the individual choose............just like with alcohol or OTC sleeping pills, etc.?

I did not know benzos were basically alcohol in a pill. Interesting!

Go Duke!

-EarlJam

I think that the autopsy is going to reveal what 20+ years of cocaine abuse will do to the human heart.

Prescription meds may have been a contributing factor, but don't discount the cumulative damage that all that tooting did to Whitney's ticker.

CathyCA wrote:I think that the autopsy is going to reveal what 20+ years of cocaine abuse will do to the human heart.

Prescription meds may have been a contributing factor, but don't discount the cumulative damage that all that tooting did to Whitney's ticker.

Agreed.

-EJ

EarlJam wrote:

DukePA wrote:Gotta disagree a little on this one, bro. I spend 1/3 to 2/3 of my time caring for people who are hooked on Xanax and other benzos. The majority of them have been legally prescribed the meds for anxiety despite the evidence that benzos are only appropriate for short-term treatment of anxiety disorders. I prescribe them in a crisis and have a handful of patients who use them on rare occasions, not every day. I resent the prescribers who allow their patients to become dependent on benzos when there are much safer and superior treatments available. It's lazy prescribing in my opinion. There is little that is more satisfying for me in my practice than freeing a patient from benzo dependence. Their anxiety decreases because they are no longer in withdrawal between doses; they have more energy and less depression. What many fail to realize, and few clinicians share with their patients, is that benzos are alcohol in a pill because they act on the same part of the brain in the same way alcohol does. They are also more addictive and you can get a DUI on a benzo just like you can with alcohol.

I don't believe government regulation is really the answer to this problem, but I do feel prescribers should be held accountable for allowing patients to become dependent when there are better alternatives. Pain management should be handled by pain management experts because there is a long-term role for pain killers.

Finally no one should ever mix alcohol with benzos or opiates. Off my soap box. GO DUKE!

Sis,

Interesting perspective and info, thanks. I don't think we are as far apart as you may think. Your paragraph beginning with "I don't believe government...." I agree with most all of that. If doctors are prescribing recklessly, then okay. Or if patients are using recklessly (driving, causing public trouble), then okay. Same rules as with alcohol apply. I am NOT for flat out recreational use. I just see a bit of hyprocracy (sp) with alcohol. An honest look shows alcohol to be a very dangerous, very harmful drug on its own (again, not that I'm against it).

I just don't want to see a case where people who really do need some pain meds, or anxiety meds, be denied because celebrities in the news keep abusing it (I know normal folk abuse them too). Why can't the individual choose............just like with alcohol or OTC sleeping pills, etc.?

I did not know benzos were basically alcohol in a pill. Interesting!

Go Duke!

-EarlJam

I don't think we are that far apart either

I don't think anyone who really needs the meds will be denied, nor should they be denied because of celebrity abuse. I agree with you about alcohol. It's all a mess. We are all responsible for our choices and prescribers take an oath to do no harm. We all have to be prudent no matter what the substance is : ) GO DUKE!!