Doctor praises Tiger Woods for seeking help in managing medications

Tiger Woods tweeted on Monday that he is getting “professional help” to manage medications as he deals with his back pain and sleep issues ahead of an Aug. 9 arraignment for his DUI arrest last month.

But what kind of help exactly? Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, said he’s receiving in-patient treatment at an undisclosed facility. But the details on Woods’ “help” are sparse.

Dr. Antonio De Filippo, the medical director of Ocean Breeze Recovery in Pompano Beach, Fla., specializes in psychiatry, psychosomatic medicine and addiction medicine. He said it’s extremely wise to seek consultation for prescription drug management, especially given Woods’ insomnia due to back pain from four major recent surgeries.

“As we saw with Tiger, it’s not uncommon to have bad reactions to medications, especially when they are combined together,” Filippo told USA TODAY Sports. "So it’s very smart, in Tiger’s situation, to have a captain to steer the ship or help him get (back on course).”

Woods, the 14-time major champion who is recovering from April 19 back surgery, was charged with driving under the influence after Jupiter (Fla.) police found him asleep in his Mercedes-Benz on May 29. Woods told officers he had a reaction to several prescription drugs, including Vicodin and Xanax, which led to Woods failing several routine DUI tests despite no presence of alcohol on a breathalyzer.

“A lot of times, it has to do with timing and the combination of the drugs so close together,” Filippo said. "And that can happen with just sleep medicine. There are a number of ways he could be impaired.

“But these bad decisions and the misconception of being out partying are not specific to Tiger. I’ve had (patients) who had bad luck based on the timing and combination of medications, and then I’ve had to explain (to authorities) what happened or could’ve happened from the drugs.

"This frequently happens where people are incorrectly vilified like it’s all their fault. There’s some responsibility, obviously, but some of these folks are caught in a strange place and really need help. You can say not to drive, but then my (patients) will ask, ‘How do I get to work and live my life?’”

Filippo praised the 41-year-old golfer’s maturity for seeking help.

“Anybody that uses (heavy) types of substances can become habituated to the point where they need someone to oversee (drug usage)," he said.

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