I know I am not the first person to experience this but how do you handle dealing with the activities of life such as driving while on pain meds? Do you postpone taking them until that activity is completed and you are back home? Does that cause your pain levels to get out of control? How do you handle this with timed release medication?
I don't worry about it because my pain meds don't effect my driving. I'm not impaired at all as I have gotten used to them. I don't even notice anything when I take them. Many drugs can impair driving. When I first started taking meds for hypertension I was completely out of it but I've gotten used to them. Many people drive on all kinds of drugs and don't give it a second thought. People take things for depression, anxiety, allergies, you name it. People that drive with phones stuck in their ears are far more dangerous in my opinion. I won't, however, drive if I take Benadryl. That is one drug that knocks me on my @. Bottom line, you need to know how your drugs effect you and plan accordingly.
I can drive fine on them even when I'm looped out. They don't affect my reflexes, judgment or response time at all. Everyone is different though.
On the bottle it will say no driving while taking. I "think" if you had an accident or were pulled over for a violation that you could probably get a DUI for it if they could prove that you had taken them in the last so many hours.
If you take prescribed pain meds and for whatever reason are stopped while driving and they determine you are impaired in any way, you can be charged with DUI, Driving Under the Influence. Several states now call it DUII, Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. In most cases it would require a blood or urine test to prove you are DUI.
I'm on Methadone for my CP and can drive fine around town, but have difficulties getting sleepy when I'm driving long distances. I usually have to just take a minimal amount of my medication when I'm driving out of town. I must admit though, I do have a concern about being stopped for a burned out brake light, or such and for some reason the cop determines there is probable cause I'm on medication. They now view legal (prescribed) and illegal drugs the same when it comes to driving. They are right in line with alcohol consumption.
If they're are going to have such laws then they will have to define "Intoxicants". There are many OTC drugs that can make you impaired as well as drugs for hypertension and a variety of other maintenance meds that don't include narcotics. I think it's a good bet that a great many of the people on the road have taken some kind of medication either OTC or prescription.
Not sure how could I drive while taking PK for CP.
I am taking Percocet; 20 min after I took a pill I am not capable to get up on my own to get to the bathroom due to dizziness, sleepness and not clear thinking. I guess my body's reaction to any PK is this way.
If you have any questions about your capability driving while taking pain meds you can ask your physician to order you a "functional capacity evaluation" it is done by physical therapist and they measure your reaction time. SOme places actually have simulators for driving. I would think if you have documentation on record that you are capable of driving while on medications "the test should be done with you medicated" then you might have a leg to stand on should you get into an auto accident. It might also prevent you from injuring yourself or others if you are unsure.
I will answer that for you. Yes you can and will be arrested if you are found impaired under the influence of prescription or non prescription drugs. People do not believe you can be impaired by a non presctiption drug such as ephedrine however I beg to differ that. You can. "Any substance taken into the human body which impairs the bodys ability to operate a vehicle (which includes non motorized) safely is intoxicated". That means that even in some states and some cities under the legal limit is still intoxicated. Just because we are prescribed medication it does not give a legal right to drive on the roadways. Until one knows how they will react on medication stay home. I take plenty of medicines and do it safely as do the majority of us. I can attest that I have in my career stopped many many people on a therapudic dosage of medicines and not taken them to jail. I have taken someone to jail on ephedrine alone. I have taken some to jail on prescription meds usually after a accident. Safety is safely.
Last edited by Backinthesaddle; 09-19-2007 at 12:11 PM.
I would never get in the car if I was the slightest bit woozy especially with my precious children. I am concerned about if I go on the Long Acting Meds like my doctor is talking how I will work out driving. On the Percocet, I can simply not take them. Does one get used to the short acting so that this is not a problem??
One will build a tollerance to both long acting and short term meds. That is just what our bodies do. That is why people get addicted to some meds is that the body needs more to keep them at the same level. For some a therapudic dosage would put most of us on the ground. Long acting pain killers are very good since they just release a little at a time. I take both long acting and short acting when I have the need. I am tollerant of both. And like you have a precious little one plus a job that would require me to never ever get stopped for dui.
