You may have a legal prescription for your medication and a valid reason for taking it, but that does not mean you cannot find yourself pulled over for behaving like a drunk driver on Pennsylvania’s roads. Your efforts to improve and maintain your health could harm you on the road if you are not careful.
A Place for Mom explores how prescriptions can hamper a person’s ability to drive. Learn whether you may need to talk to your pharmacist or doctor or refrain from driving while on your current prescription.
How medication influences driving behavior
It is vital that you read over your current medication’s list of side effects. For instance, your prescription could lead to drifting concentration, drowsiness or impaired reflexes, any of which could make you a danger behind the wheel.
Medications that commonly compromise driving ability
Some prescriptions are more likely than others to negatively impact your driving skills. Muscle relaxers, allergy medication, anti-anxiety meds, sleeping pills and antidepressants are common examples. Additionally, stimulants, which you may think would make you a more alert driver, can also prove problematic. If you have noticed or suspect a decline in your driving ability or behavior since you started taking your current prescription, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
How to remedy the situation
Maybe you have no choice but to drive in your day-to-day life. If so, it is vital that you not become a danger to anyone else on the road. Discuss your concerns with your pharmacist or doctor; it is possible that you can lower your dosage to reduce the impact on your driving. There could also be an alternative medication you can take.
This information is only intended to educate and should not be interpreted as legal advice.
