Are you OK to drive after taking meds? FDA offers guidance on potential side effects
Some medicines can affect driving for a short time after taking them; others can have effects that last for hours and even into the next day, the FDA said. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued guidance on potential side effects that can impair driving after taking certain medications. Some medicines can affect driving for a short time, but others may last for hours or even the next day. These include: None Diet pills, stimulants, or any prescription and over-the-counter cold remedies and allergy medicines that contain an antihistamine, nighttime sleep aids or cough medicines. Talk to a health care professional about possible side effects of these medications, which can be adjusted to the dose, timing, or switch the medicine to one with fewer side effects. For nonprescription medicines, follow the directions and warnings on packaging and read the FDA-approved labeling.
Published : a month ago by Julie Washington | [email protected], Julie Washington, jwashing in Health
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Most people know it’s not safe to drink and drive, but what about driving after taking medication? Fewer people may realize that many over-the-counter and prescription medications have side effects that can impair driving as well.
Some medicines can affect driving for a short time after taking them; others can have effects that last for hours and even into the next day, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises.
Some medicines that can make driving dangerous include:
• None Diet pills or and other stimulants (for example, caffeine, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine)
• None Medicines that treat or control symptoms of diarrhea and urine or bladder control
• None Medicines that treat or prevent symptoms of motion sickness
• None Opioids, including some cough suppressants containing codeine and hydrocodone
• None Some prescription and over-the-counter cold remedies and allergy medicines that contain an antihistamine, nighttime sleep aids or cough medicines
• None Products containing cannabis, or cannabis-derived compounds such as CBD
Talk to a health care professional about possible side effects of your medication and how they might affect driving. A caregiver might be able to change your dose, adjust the timing of when the medicine is taken, or switch the medicine to one with fewer side effects, the FDA said in a recent news release.
If you take drugs to fall asleep or stay asleep, talk with your health care professional about ways to take the lowest effective dose, when to take the medicines before bedtime, and when it’s safe to drive again after taking a sleep medicine, the FDA said.
Check with a health care professional about if it is OK to take antihistamines along with sleep medicines. Those combinations can increase sleepiness or drowsiness.
Antihistamines can slow reaction time, make it hard to focus or think clearly, and may cause mild confusion even if you don’t feel drowsy.
Avoid drinking alcohol while using some antihistamines.
For nonprescription medicines, always follow directions for use and understand the warnings on the Drug Facts label. Take the medicine for the first time when you will not need to drive, the FDA said.
Before using your prescription medicine, follow the directions and the warnings on packaging, and read the FDA-approved labeling for patients and caregivers.
Julie Washington covers healthcare for cleveland.com. Read previous stories at this link.
Topics: FDA