Driving Safely on Prescription Drugs

Most people take for granted the freedom of driving allows them. The only time that they realize how much freedom driving gives them, is when it was taken away for some reason. Many people in the United States and Tennessee have to take prescription medication that prevent them from driving. This can be a significant blow to someone who is already going through medical issues. Now, because of a new medication, it would be unsafe for them to drive.

If you take medication that affects your ability to drive safely, you are putting yourself at risk, as well as everyone else on the road. But also, you could face criminal charges if you are pulled over and driving under the influence of medication. DUIs cover both driving under the influence of alcohol and illegal drugs, and driving under the influence of legally prescribed medications. If you get behind the wheel knowing that you’re on medication that affects your ability to drive safely, you can be arrested for DUI. There have been many DUI arrests in the Kingsport, Johnson City, and Bristol areas of people who were driving unsafely due to taking legal, prescribed drugs.

How Can Medication Affect My Driving?

There are many physical ailments that require people to take medication, either over-the-counter or prescribed by a doctor. Here are some of the main reasons why people might take a medication:

● Allergies,

● Colds,

● Flu like symptoms,

● Depression,

● Diabetes,

● Heart conditions,

● Cholesterol issues,

● Blood conditions,

● High blood pressure,

● Joint and muscle pain,

● Swelling,

● Muscle spasms,

● Schizophrenia,

● Anxiety,

● Parkinson’s Disease, and

● Other mental disorders.

Many of the medication‘s that are taken for these conditions, either over-the-counter or prescribed, can cause physical symptoms and reactions that might make it unsafe to drive. Also, people take herbal substances for non-traditional treatment of physical issues and ailments. These herbal and non-traditional treatments can also cause various physical symptoms that could affect someone’s ability to drive safely. Here are some of the symptoms that we often see that can cause people to crash their vehicles:

● Dizziness,

● Passing out,

● Blacking out,

● Impaired vision,

● Impaired hearing,

● Lack of motor control,

● Numbness in the feet and hands,

● Lack of concentration,

● Spacing out,

● Drowsiness,

● Falling asleep,

● Nausea, and

● Vomiting.

Obviously, if any of these things happen to you while you’re driving, a serious accident could occur. Also, you could be held responsible for the injuries caused in the accident if you knew, in advance, that the medication or substance you’re taking could cause the various symptoms.

Another issue that people don’t realize is that combining medications could have a serious effect on your mental and physical capacity to drive safely. Many people take several medications, particularly elderly people. These combinations of over the counter medications, prescribed medication, and even herbal or non-traditional supplements, can be a recipe for disaster while driving.

Can I Drive Safely While on Medication?

Many people ask us whether or not they should be driving while taking certain medications or substances for illnesses and ailments. Ultimately, this is a question that should be addressed with your doctor and medical professionals. However, overall, most people can drive while taking medication. Most people are not affected by the side effects to such a degree that would prevent them from driving. However, if you are experiencing issues, there are some steps that you can take to be sure that you are continuing to be a safe driver.

1. Have a friend or family member evaluate your driving. The reason for this is that you may not realize while you’re driving you are having certain symptoms. You may not realize that your concentration is lacking or that your movements are slow. Having an objective third-party in the car with you to value what you’re driving will help determine what to do next.
2. Speak to your medical professional or doctor who prescribed the medication and ask whether or not the prescriptions have certain side effects that would make driving unsafe. Most of the time, there will be warnings on certain medications if there is a potential issue. For example, certain medications will say to “not operate heavy machinery” and/or vehicles while taking the medication. This could be for both over-the-counter medication as well as prescribed medication. Obviously, if there is a warning like this, re-evaluate how you will be driving.
3. If possible, adjust the dosage of your medication so that you will experience less symptoms that could make driving unsafe. You should certainly talk to your doctor about this before attempting to adjust the dose on your own.
4. Consider the timing of when you take the medication. If you are supposed to take medication once a day and that pill causes residual symptoms, consider taking it at night, before bedtime, or at a time when you know that you will not be driving for quite a while. This way, you will avoid driving while the symptoms are present. It will allow you to drive during the day, which is the time that most people drive.

Don’t Forget About Your Pharmacist

One medical professional that a lot of people forget about when trying to learn about how medication will affect them is talking to their pharmacist. Yes, you should discuss your issues with medications and physical symptoms with your doctor. However, your pharmacist also knows a significant amount about how your medication can affect you. Pharmacists are always available to talk to their customers and are quite knowledgeable. Sometimes, your doctor and pharmacist can work together in coming up with a solid plan to treat your illness in a way that allows you to drive.

Robert BatesRobert is a Kingsport trial lawyer who handles car, truck and motorcycle wreck cases across the Tri-Cities. Every client gets his cell number.