Prescribed drugs and medicines
Some medicines, both prescribed and bought over the counter, can affect your ability to drive safely. You may not always know whether or not a medicine will affect your driving. The danger is that you may not notice a medicine has affected your ability to drive safely until you are in a driving situation where you need a fast, accurate response to avoid a crash.
For information on illegal drugs and driving visit the Think! website.
When you start taking a new medicine, either prescribed by a doctor, or bought over the counter, check with your pharmacist or doctor to see if it's safe to drive while using the medicine.
Warning signs
How do I know if the medicine I am taking is likely to affect my driving?
Some medicines can make you:
- drowsy or tired
- dizzy, lightheaded or faint
- unable to think clearly
- have reduced coordination, including shaking and feeling unstable or shaky
- edgy, angry or aggressive
- sick, nauseous or otherwise unwell
- have blurred or double vision.
If you experience any of these effects, or other effects that make it difficult to drive, speak with your doctor or pharmacist before driving.
What are the possible risks?
If you drive when affected by medicines you may cause an accident.
You risk:
- losing your licence
- losing your insurance cover
- prosecution in the courts
- damaging property.
Or, worse, you could:
- injure or disable other people or yourself
- kill someone.
The effect of a medicine on your driving may be more if you:
- take two or more medicines that have similar effects on your driving
- start a new medicine
- take more than the prescribed or recommended dose of your medicine
- drink alcohol at the same time
- are tired
- are older.
Important
If your medicine affects your driving, stop driving. Do not stop taking your medicine and seek advice from your doctor or pharmacist. Ask your pharmacist, or doctor, if the medicine you are taking, either on prescription, or bought over the counter, may affect your driving. Read the labels on all medicines you take. Check with your pharmacist when your medicines have the following labels:
- Warning. Causes drowsiness which may continue until the next day. If affected, do not drive or operate machinery. Avoid alcoholic drink.
- Warning. May cause drowsiness. If affected, do not drive or operate machinery.
- Warning. May cause drowsiness. If affected, do not drive or operate machinery. Avoid alcoholic drink.
What medicines are most likely to affect my driving?
Some prescription and over-the-counter medicines used to treat the conditions below may affect your ability to drive, cycle or operate machinery.
| A | Anxiety, allergies, arthritis |
| B | Blood pressure |
| C | Colds, coughs, convulsions |
| D | Diabetes, duodenal ulcers, depression |
| E | Eye conditions, epilepsy |
| F | Flu |
| H | High blood pressure, heart conditions, heartburn, headache, hay fever, heroin addiction |
| I | Inflammation, indigestion, infections, insomnia |
| M | Morning sickness |
| N | Nervous system diseases, nausea, nerves |
| P | Pain, period pain |
| R | Reflux |
| S | Sleeping problems, stomach problems, stress |
| T | Travel sickness |
| U | Ulcers |
| V | Vomiting |
Medicines and alcohol
Even a small amount of alcohol, especially if taken with medicines, prescribed or bought over the counter can affect your driving skills – do not drive if you have been taking alcohol with your medicine.
When taking medicines for conditions such as coughs and colds, you may be feeling off colour, it may be autumn/winter and road and weather conditions are not good, and with the days being shorter you have the added hazards of night driving and bright lights coming towards you. Take extra care – this combination of factors is likely to make driving more difficult and dangerous.
Take care, look after yourself
- If your medicine does affect you, ask if there is an alternative. For example, if you get hay fever there are anti-histamines that are less likely to make you drowsy.
- Use public transport, take a taxi, or ask a friend to drive you if you are taking medicines that could affect your driving.
- If you have missed a dose of your prescribed medicine, do not drive if your condition can make driving dangerous, eg if you have epilepsy or diabetes.
- Manage your medical conditions by taking medicines correctly – if you have any problems, talk to your pharmacist or doctor.
- If the medicine is affecting you, do not drink alcohol. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before mixing alcohol with your medicines.
- Do not drive when you are tired, particularly on longer trips.
- Do not use other people's medicines – they could have a different effect on you, possibly affecting your driving.
Instead of driving consider such alternatives as:
- arranging to be picked up
- taking advantage of home delivery where it is appropriate and available.
Pharmacists are medicines experts. Ask your pharmacist for advice when choosing or taking medicines.
This information was brought to you in collaboration with the Lothian and Borders Police Health Care Professions Crime Prevention Panel.
