Driving On Medication

Driving on Medication

by

JV

At this time of year an estimated 1 out of 5 people in the United Kingdom will be suffering with the effects of hay fever. With this comes medication in different formats of which most will be taking at least one type. Personally I get terrible hay fever and each day dose myself up (so to speak) on eye drops, nose-spray, and a 1 a day tablet. All of which I make sure are non-drowsy. You have to be so careful. Sometimes as the years go by you may be so used to taking a certain type of hay fever remedy that you don’t instantly notice changes. I used to take a tablet which had a warning it could cause drowsiness, although I was always fine. Then one year after taking one I was almost falling asleep (not whist driving I must add).

It isn’t just hay fever medication we have to be careful of. Cold and flu treatments, pain killers, antihistamines and other types of eye drops can all have an effect on the central nervous system, causing drowsiness and generally reducing the ability to concentrate whilst driving as well as many other tasks you may be undertaking. Not to mention prescribed drugs. In the United Kingdom the Road Traffic Act states ‘You must not drive whilst under the influence of drugs or medicine’. So if you can feel the medicine you are taking having an adverse effect, you may be breaking the law. If you’re only taking medicine prescribed by your doctor you must still be careful and not assume this makes it okay. You must check on packaging before taking anything if it can cause drowsiness, sometimes it’s hard to find so make sure you have a good look. Ignorance is never an excuse. Further to being aware of the above, you must consider the effects having alcohol may have with the medication you’re taking. Even if the alcohol level you have taken is far below the drink-drive limit, it can have serious effects on your ability to drive, and as with drinking heavily the night before, and driving in the morning, it’s not always a good idea if you’re on medication and had even a small drink, you may still be impaired. If you are on more than one type of medication, and none of them mention anything about the dangers of driving when using them, this may not mean it is safe to do so. Mixing drugs can always be dangerous and will affect different people in different ways. And when coming off these drugs, don’t assume you’re okay straight away either, as they will take time to leave your system. Most of the time you will be fine but you can never be too careful. If you’re ever in doubt then seek professional advice. It’s better to be safe than sorry. JV

Jason Vines

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