ability to drive according to the advice above. If you are taking your medication as prescribed,
and have no reason to think yourself unfit to drive you will be entitled to raise the ‘medical
defence’ if questioned.
DVLA (Drivers Vehicle Licensing Agency)
You do not need to inform the DVLA that you are starting a strong painkiller or sedative.
However there may be other information about your illness that the DVLA needs to know, for
example if your eyesight is affected. Your doctors or the DVLA can advise you about this.
How to contact the DVLA: (It is helpful to have your driving licence number available)
Tel: 03007906806
Website: www.dvla.gov.uk
Email [email protected]
Address:
Drivers Medical 11 DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1TU
Car insurance
You should tell your motor insurance company about your current state of health and what
medication you are taking. Each insurance company is different. It is best to discuss your
insurance company to be sure that you are covered.
Further information
A member of the Hospice team or your GP will be happy to help you decide when it is safe to
drive. If you have any other questions about the information in this leaflet, please don't hesitate
to ask a member of the Hospice team. This advice leaflet was written taking current research
and advice from the DVLA into account. It is adapted from one used by Velindre NHS Trust.
Hospice in the Weald provides compassionate, individualised, holistic and supportive care to
patients with a terminal illness, their families and carers in West Kent and North East Sussex.
Our Hospice care, in people’s home or at the Hospice itself, provides comfort from
emotional and physical pain and emphasises quality of life as well as dignity in death.
Our services are free of charge to patients, their families and carers. The services are provided
on the basis of need rather than ability to pay.
We are not part of the NHS. We rely heavily on those from and in our community who give their
money and time to help reach the £7 million we need to raise every year to provide our vital
services.
Hospice in the Weald, Maidstone Road, Pembury, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 4TA
Tel 01892 820500 Fax 01892 820520 [email protected]
www.hospiceintheweald.org.uk
/hospiceintheweald
@hospiceweald
©Hospice in the Weald Nov 2015 Registered Charity No. 280276 Registered Company No. 1499846
Compassionate, Individualised,
Holistic and Supportive Care
You may have noticed that the label on
your medication says “May cause
drowsiness. If affected, do not drive or
operate machinery. Avoid alcoholic
drink”.
If you are someone who drives, you may
be wondering if it is safe for you to drive.
The information in the leaflet will help
you to decide.
Strong painkillers can affect each person
in a different way. They can make some
people drowsy and reaction times can be
slower than usual. This may be worse if
you take other medicines or tablets that
cause drowsiness or if you drink alcohol.
Sedative drugs make people drowsy and
slow reaction times. They can also make
your muscles feel weaker than usual.
Again, this may be worse if you take
other drugs that also cause drowsiness or if
you drink alcohol.
When you no longer feel drowsy, you should
be able to drive again.
Strong painkillers prescribed by doctors
include: morphine (Oramorph, Sevredol, MST,
Zomorph), oxycodone (Oxynorm, Lynlor,
OxyContin, Abtard MR, Longtec MR), Fentanyl,
Tramadol, Methadone, Buprenorphine
(Butrans, Transtec) and Abstral
- If your dose of medication is increased you
may again feel drowsy. You must wait until
the side effect has passed before driving.
Sedative drugs prescribed by doctors include:
Lorazepam, Clonazepam, Diazepam,
Temazepam and Oxazepam
- You must not drive if you feel sleepy, dizzy, if
your thinking is slowed or if you have any
problems with your vision.
- You are advised not to drive until you know
exactly how the medication affects you, as
many of their effects can impair your ability to
drive safely.
- When you first start taking strong painkillers,
you may feel drowsy. In some people this side
effect only lasts for a few days.
- If you are prescribed a sedative to take at
night to help you sleep, you may find that you
will still feel sleepy in the morning, and you
should not drive until you feel fully awake.
- Do not drive soon after taking a
breakthrough dose of strong painkiller e.g.
Oramorph. It is advisable to wait three hours
and then assess whether you feel fit to drive.
- You must not drive after drinking alcohol or
taking strong drugs which have not been
prescribed or recommended by your doctor
e.g. cannabis.
- You must not drive if you start taking
other drugs that may cause sleepiness,
either prescribed by your doctor or
bought from the chemist e.g. some hay fever
medicines.
Once you no longer feel drowsy you may start
driving.
Make your first trip
- Short
- On roads that you know
- At a time when the traffic is not too busy
You may find it helpful to have an
experienced driver accompanying you to
begin with, in case you should find that you
are unable to complete your journey due to
tiredness.
From March 2015 It will be an offence to be in
charge of a vehicle with a specified controlled
drug in the body above a particular limit.
These limits are generally higher than the
doses that most people will be taking. In
addition, patients who can demonstrate that
they are taking their medication in
accordance with prescription are considered
to have a ‘medical defence’ to protect them.
The drugs affected by this new law are:
Morphine, Methadone, Clonazepam,
Oxazepam, Diazepam, Lorazepam,
Temazepam
You should take your medication as
advised by your doctor, and assess your