Larry King's Wife Shawn Southwick King Enters Rehab For Addiction To Painkillers: Report

The New York Post's Page Six reports that Shawn Southwick King, wife of CNN's Larry King, has entered rehab for addition to painkillers:

TALKMEISTER Larry King's stunning TV-personality wife, Shawn Southwick King, 48, has gone into rehab for addiction to painkillers. King, 74, has been married to Southwick, his sixth wife, for 10 years and they have two children together. A friend of King's confirmed to Page Six, "Shawn is in rehab for medication issues related to her chronic migraine problem." CNN declined to comment.

Shawn King discussed her migraines on the April 26, 2005 broadcast of "Larry King Live," and, in particular, discussed the dangers of taking too much pain medication:

L. KING: Before we ask Susan, does Imitrex work -- does anything work for you?

S. KING: So far, we're still searching.

L. KING: None of the pain pills work for you?

S. KING: No. I mean, well, you've taken me to the hospital for morphine when it gets really, really bad.

L. KING: So none of the -- even the new ones?

S. KING: But you have to be really careful, because it can be a cycle where if you take too much pain medication, that can trigger another migraine.

L. KING: So the pain -- the cause -- the cure is the cause?

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S. KING: Right.

Earlier in that broadcast, Shawn King said she could get as many as ten migraines in one month and that she hadn't gone three months without a migraine since first coming down with the painful headaches:

SHAWN KING, SINGER, LARRY'S WIFE, MIGRAINE SUFFERER: I remember the very day, it was the day my brother got married. And I put the luncheon on, the brunch. And after my part of the brunch was over with, I started losing vision in this -- like a crescent shape. And I would hold up my hand, and I couldn't tell how many fingers I was holding up. And...

L. KING: What did you think it was?

S. KING: Well, I didn't have any idea, except I mentioned it to the fellow who was sitting next to me. He said, you're about to get a migraine headache. Because he was a migraine sufferer.

L. KING: Since then you get them how frequently?

S. KING: Oh, it depends.

L. KING: Average?

S. KING: Average, boy, I can get 10 in a month. I can get one or three in a month. You've seen me go through...

L. KING: What's the longest you've ever been without one?

S. KING: Oh, gosh.

L. KING: Do you think? You ever gone three months without one?

S. KING: No.

Click for the full transcript of Shawn King migraines discussion on "Larry King Live."

Comments

[Agentlady007]

Dear Shawn,

My best wishes to you dear. You'll get through this. You have so many friends who love you.

Agentlady007

[KarlRoves3rdchin]

Well, I have to admit, if I were married to Larry King, John McCain, George Bush, Dick Cheney, Newt Gingrich, or any other Republican for that matter I would have to take LOTS of drugs including painkillers just to be able to listen to them all day or look at them for that matter. YUCK!!!

[LynndaMaree]

Pleeze, if I were married to that old goat, I'd need pain killers to.

[NoSillyName]

I can only imagine what she must endure.

[nodonjuan]

At least she didn't steal them from poor people like Cindy McCan't.

[tel8034]

And at least Mrs. King went to Rehab.

Cindy only came clean because an employee of hers was about to expose her.

She was never charged for the repeated thefts, nor did she enter Rehab.

[joebiz]

She needs a career and magically her migraines (aka: sex with Larry) will disappear. Migraines, that's rich. Do starving people in Somalia or Burundi suffer migraines? Well, I suffer them when I see the softball questions Larry King poses to his guests.

[observing]

Shawn King is known for being extremely weight conscious. My sister was anorexic and suffered from extreme migraines. She finally got to a normal weight - meaning the correct body/mass index not society's fantasy of "normal" - migraines are gone. Shawn may want to consider getting to her correct BMI because she doesn't look like she's there. But she has a darn good excuse not to sleep with her husband.

[MiraMcB]

My sympathy and best wishes to the Kings. My mother was plagued with them for years. Fortunately, she eventually outgrew them with the onset of menopause. I hope it works that way for Mrs. King. Migraines are horrendous. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

[IngeniousGirl]

My husband began having headaches that were unbearable. At the hospital they tried everything and he was in danger because his blood pressure was going up due to the pain. A neurologist advised him to try Topomax, an off label use of Topomax has been found to stop certain kinds of headaches. It too a few hours as I remember or maybe a day, but it worked. He has been pain free since 2002.
No one knows why it works, but the fact that it works, i.e. the cure, demonstrates the need for this medication. Only use medication prescribed by your doctor. Never order medication from the internet, you never ever can be sure what is sent to you.

Good luck.

[groucho]

she needs to eat.

[janvoght]

my sympathies to larry. to have someone that you love, involved in chemical abuse is not only pain for the person themselves, but also for those around them. the children feel this, and my prayers are for this to be handled if possible and as soon as possible. hang in there larry.

obama '08

[vocalist]

Does this means LK is going to dump this one and marry again for 15 th time...

[Rosanneofpgh]

Oh, leave the old guy alone. If you were his age and you could get a hot babe to marry you, wouldnt you do it?

(BTW, I AM accepting marriage proposals from old geezers with lots of cash! hehehehehe)

[dawlishgal]

Hi Rosenne....I missed your postings lately...glad to see you back.

[BGDiNLV]

Boy,I tell you what. Larry and Ed sure know how to pick'em!! One is addicted to painkillers,the other is addicted to money!!! Stick to your age fella's Its alot cheaper and less stressful. :)

[alguien]

yeah, if i were married to larry king and had to see him naked, i'd probably become addicted to painkillers myself.

[MemphisBuffalo]

You took my comment! lol I think it is evidence she is having an affair with Rush!

[avraamjack]

.
Have you seen him naked?
.
Perhaps he is buff and boinks like a gorilla on ecstasy.
.
It is possible.
.

[ebethgay]

It's also possible that monkeys could fly out of my butt tonight, but I doubt it.

[Strickland4President]

Wow. The conservatives moved too far to the right and toward ugly hatred so I jumped to the less conservative party. But after reading this crap I now have no party at all.

What a bunch of hateful little people you are. Who the f&*k are you all to judge anyone? The woman has a problem.

You are all so pure.

[Merckx]

Chill dude. A handful of bloggers wrote something distasteful. You won't find purity on any blog site or in any party. Just humans being human.

[xpresv]

If THIS is what you find most offensive about the comments on Huffpo, then maybe you should join the spineless cowards on the right...
Lighten up, dude.