The death of Presley Gerber, the 27 year old son of Cindy Crawford, has raised difficult questions about addiction treatment and the limits of even extensive care. Gerber died at a California rehabilitation facility, according to the source report.

Addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky said Gerber’s case highlights the progressive and potentially deadly nature of substance use disorder. He also identified what he considers a dangerous trend in treatment, with patients being allowed to direct their own care.

“When I listened to [Gerber's] video, what struck me and concerned me was that the patient seemed to be determining some of the care,” Pinsky said on his podcast, “Ask Dr. Drew.” He added, “That's never good.”

Pinsky discussed Gerber’s reported trip to Mexico for an “ibogaine flood.” The term refers to treatment with a large dose of ibogaine, a psychoactive compound derived from an African shrub.

Ibogaine has been studied as a possible treatment for substance use disorders, but it has not received approval from the FDA. Gerber had described receiving the treatment in Mexico before his death.

“I've had patients using ibogaine or ayahuasca for decades, and there's nothing magic about it, I assure you,” Pinsky said. He reported that almost every patient he had seen try the alternative drug eventually relapsed on opioids, often experiencing personality changes in the process.

Ibogaine remains an unapproved Schedule I substance in the United States. Federal health agencies have documented risks that include fatal heart arrhythmias, according to the report.

Pinsky argued that people with severe substance use disorder are sometimes permitted to bypass established medical protocols in favor of risky alternative therapies. His concern centered on treatment choices being shaped by the patient rather than qualified clinicians.

The location of Gerber’s death also prompted public shock because he was inside a recovery facility. Pinsky stressed that even expensive rehabilitation centers cannot automatically stop the course of severe opioid dependence.

“Opioid addiction is progressive and it ends in death,” Pinsky said. “Even with good treatment, it has a worse prognosis than most cancers ... If they are not moving toward recovery, they are moving toward demise.”

Gerber was pronounced dead at a Santa Monica recovery facility on Sept. 20. An autopsy was completed, while final toxicology findings from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office remained pending at the time of the report.

Emergency dispatch logs indicated that 911 was called to the facility for a suspected overdose and cardiac arrest. Those records did not replace the pending official toxicology findings, which had not yet established the circumstances described in the report.

Dr. Nicholas Kardaris, an addiction expert and CEO of the New York Center for Living, said the period during or immediately after rehabilitation can be especially dangerous. A patient’s reduced tolerance can make a previously used dose fatal if relapse occurs.

“People are in rehab because they’re struggling with addiction. It doesn’t mean they’re cured,” Kardaris told Fox News Digital. His warning focused on the vulnerability that can accompany treatment and changes in drug tolerance.

Pinsky also warned that allowing people struggling with addiction to determine their clinical treatment can undermine recovery and contribute to poor outcomes. His comments placed particular emphasis on following medical protocols rather than relying on alternative approaches presented as exceptional solutions.

Pinsky and other health experts said families should look for fully licensed facilities that use care supported by evidence. They also recommended qualified providers and medications approved by the FDA for opioid use disorder when appropriate.

Those medications include buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone. The experts’ guidance emphasized that entering rehabilitation does not mean addiction has been cured, while Gerber’s final toxicology results were still awaited.