It is a well-known fact that driving under the influence of alcohol is illegal, but not everyone realizes the dangers of driving after taking drugs — including prescription and over-the-counter medications. Many legally obtained and commonly used OTC and prescription drugs can affect a user’s ability to drive safely.

Antidepressants, opioids, and other prescription drugs may cause impairment.

If you are taking a prescription drug, or get a prescription for a new medicine or a higher dose of a current drug, do not drive until you know what effect it has on your judgment, coordination, and reaction time. Additionally, certain medications may not impair you on their own, but if taken with a second medication or with alcohol, they may cause impairment. Know that warnings against “operating heavy machinery” include driving a vehicle.

Commonly used over-the-counter medications can put drivers at risk.

Cold and allergy medicines, sleep aids, and other OTC medications can cause side effects, including drowsiness, nausea, and blurred vision — all of which can put everyone on the road at risk.

There’s more than one way to be under the influence.

It doesn’t matter what term you use: If a person is feeling a little high, buzzed, stoned, wasted, or drunk, he or she is impaired and should not get behind the wheel. Before leaving the pharmacy, understand the warnings about the drugs you are taking. If you are taking a prescription or over-the-counter medication that may impair your driving, you should not drive. Help us spread this valuable message: There’s More Than One Way to Be Under the Influence.

People use medicines for a variety of reasons, including:

• allergies
• anxiety
• cold
• depression
• diabetes
• heart and cholesterol conditions
• high blood pressure
• muscle spasms
• pain
• Parkinson's disease
• Schizophrenia

Medicines include medications that your doctor prescribes and over-the-counter medications that you buy without a doctor's prescription. Many individuals also take herbal supplements. Some of these medicines and supplements may cause a variety of reactions that may make it more difficult for you to drive a car safely. These reactions may include:

• sleepiness
• blurred vision
• dizziness
• slowed movement
• fainting
• inability to focus or pay attention
• nausea

Often people use more than one medicine at a time. The combination of different medicines can cause problems for some people. This is especially true for older adults because they use more medicines than any other age group. Due to changes in the body as people age, older adults are more prone to medicine related problems. The more medicines you use, the greater your risk that your medicines will affect your ability to drive safely. To help avoid problems, it is important that at least once a year you talk to your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist about all the medicines - both prescription and over-the-counter - you are using. Also let your doctor know what herbal supplements, if any, you are using. Do this even if your medicines and supplements are not currently causing you a problem.

Yes, most people can drive safely if they are using medications. It depends on the effect those medicines - both prescription and over-the-counter - have on your driving. In some cases, you may not be aware of the effects. But, in many instances, your doctor can help to minimize the negative impact of your medicines on your driving in several ways. Your doctor may be able to:

• Adjust the dose;
• Adjust the timing of doses or when you use the medicine;
• Add an exercise or nutrition program to lessen the need for medicine; and
• Change the medicine to one that causes less drowsiness.

Talk to your doctor honestly.
When your doctor prescribes a medicine for you, ask about side effects. How should you expect the medicine to affect your ability to drive? Remind your doctor of other medicines - both prescription and over-the-counter - and herbal supplements you are using, especially if you see more than one doctor. Talking honestly with your doctor also means telling the doctor if you are not using all or any of the prescribed medicines. Do not stop using your medicine unless your doctor tells you to.

Ask your doctor if you should drive - especially when you first take a medication.
Using a new medicine can cause you to react in a number of ways. It is recommended that you do not drive when you first start using a new medicine until you know how that drug affects you. You also need to be aware that some over-the-counter medicines and herbal supplements can make it difficult for you to drive safely.

Talk to your pharmacist.
Get to know your pharmacist. Ask the pharmacist to go over your medicines with you and to remind you of effects they may have on your ability to drive safely. Be sure to request printed information about the side effects of any new medicine. Remind your pharmacist of other medicines and herbal supplements you are using. Pharmacists are available to answer questions wherever you get your medicine. Many people buy medicines by mail. Mail-order pharmacies have a toll-free number you can call and a pharmacist available to answer your questions.

Monitor yourself.
Learn to know how your body reacts to the medicine and supplements. Keep track of how you feel after you use the medicine. For example, do you feel sleepy? Is your vision blurry? Do you feel weak and slow? When do these things happen?

Let your doctor and pharmacist know what is happening.
No matter what your reaction is to using a medicine - good or bad - tell your doctor and pharmacist. Both prescription and over-the-counter medicines are powerful - that's why they work. Each person is unique. Two people may respond differently to the same medicine. If you are experiencing side effects, the doctor needs to know that in order to adjust your medicine. Your doctor can help you find a medicine that works best for you.

Wear your safety belt.
Always wear your safety belt when you are driving or riding in a car. Make sure that every person who is riding with you also is buckled up. Wear your safety belt even if your car has air bags.

It is critical to know how medication could make you feel and how it can impact your driving ability and routine. Many people receive a prescription and do not fully understand their medication. When your doctor writes you a prescription, it is very important to ask the six basic questions about the medication:

1. Why am I taking this medication?
2. How much should I take?
3. When should I take it?
4. How should I take it?
5. What should I do if I miss a dose?
6. What are the possible side effects?

If you are a commercial motor vehicle driver, you also need to know how the medication will affect your ability to drive. Receiving answers to these questions will help you gain a better understanding of how to read your prescription label(s).

Please remember to verify your name and address on the prescription label. Also, verify the prescription number, medication name, instructions on how to take the medicine, and the name of the doctor who wrote the prescription.

Most importantly, know how the medicine could make you feel and how it could affect your daily driving routine. Staying safe is an essential part of managing your health.

Did you know medication interactions can occur when you take two or more medications at one time or on the same day? It doesn't matter whether the medication is prescribed, over-the-counter, or herbal.

Interactions can increase or decrease the effectiveness of your medications. When medications interact with chemicals found in the body, in food, from medical tests, can cause you to experience serious side effects not normally linked with either drug. These interactions may affect you in many ways possibly altering the effects of other medications and could adversely affect pre-existing medical conditions.

For instance, blood pressure medications may cause side effects associated with food intake. If you eat or drink grapefruit products while taking certain blood pressure medications, you may experience an increased heart rate or blood pressure changes and/or increased side effects such as facial flushing, headache, or dizziness. Therefore, it is important to inform your health care provider of any over-the-counter medications you may be take.

So how can you evaluate your medication interactions to determine if they are major, moderate, or minor?

Read labels.

Some medication labels have warnings. These labels may note foods to avoid while taking the medication or the label may say do not take a specific medication in combination with other medications.

Speak to your doctor.

In some cases, recommendations from your physician can manage your interactions. Because it may be harmful to a commercial driver's ability to drive safely, it is important to be aware of possible interactions between medications.

Share a cab. Share your food. Share joy! But don't share medications. Sharing medications, even over-the-counter medications like aspirin, can be a prescription for disaster.

Side effects and drug interactions: Although it is common for family and friends to share medications, the medication prescribed for you may cause serious problems for others with bad side effects such as severe allergic reactions and unhealthy interactions with another prescription medication that is being taken. In fact, sharing one medication may decrease the effectiveness of another medication. The medication you share may work with other prescriptions to double the potency and cause a reaction similar to an overdose. Even herbal and dietary supplements can do this.

Not all symptoms are alike! You may think the symptoms your friend is suffering are the same as yours, but he or she may have a very different medical problem. By sharing your medication, you may be delaying his or her trip to a doctor, and may even contribute to the worsening of a medical condition. Sharing medication with someone is like diagnosing and treating him or her. You wouldn’t expect your doctor to get into the cab of your truck and drive it without any training, so don't try to diagnose and treat your friends. It is a dangerous practice!

Unique responses: We are unique and so are our reactions to medications. You have heard the statement, "I can take that medication and not be the least bit drowsy, but my sister falls asleep two minutes after swallowing it." Our body chemistry, composition, and how fast our liver works to clear medications out of our system are evidence of our differences, and those factors play a role in medication use. So just because a medication works for you doesn't mean it will work the same for someone else.

Unsafe: Medications, particularly those that have a narcotic component, may be habit-forming and may pose a severe risk to safe driving. Side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, and confusion have a direct impact on the focus, concentration, and stamina needed for commercial driving. Although you may not have an adverse reaction to the medication, someone else may. Thus, sharing a medication with another driver who may have a different reaction to the medication can cause serious public safety concerns.

It's improper and unsafe to share any prescriptions with other people. Doctor prescribed medications are strong, even some antibiotics can cause serious reactions, that's why they have unique numbers for writing prescription orders. Your good intentions may cause dangerous results to health and safety while on or off the road - especially if the drivers are unaware of how the medication will affect them. In addition, sharing a controlled substance such as a narcotic, may be illegal. So be safe, don't share.

You can keep your independence even if you have to cut back or give up on your driving due to your need to use a medicine. It may take planning ahead on your part, but it will get you to the places you want to go and the people you want to see. Consider:

• rides with family and friends;
• taxi cabs;
• shuttle buses or vans;
• public buses, trains and subways; and
• walking.

Also, senior centers, religious, and other local service groups often offer transportation services for older adults in the community.

If you’re taking a medication, is it safe to drive?

Most likely, yes. Still, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises you to make sure before operating any type of vehicle, whether a car, bus, train, plane, or boat.

Although most medications won’t affect your ability to drive, some prescription and nonprescription medicines (also called over-the-counter, or OTC) can have side effects and cause reactions that may make it unsafe to drive. Side effects can include:

• sleepiness/drowsiness
• blurred vision
• dizziness
• slowed movement
• fainting
• inability to focus or pay attention
• nausea
• excitability

Some medicines can affect your driving for a short time after you take them. For others, the effects can last for several hours, and even the next day. And some medicines have a warning to not operate heavy machinery — this includes driving a car.

Medicines That Might Affect Driving

Knowing how your medications — or any combination of them — affect your ability to drive is a safety measure. Some drugs that could make it dangerous to drive include:

• opioid pain relievers
• prescription drugs for anxiety (for example, benzodiazepines)
• anti-seizure drugs (antiepileptic drugs)
• antipsychotic drugs
• some antidepressants
• products containing codeine
• some cold remedies and allergy products, such as antihistamines (both prescription and OTC)
• sleeping pills
• muscle relaxants
• medicines that treat or control symptoms of diarrhea
• medicines that treat or prevent symptoms of motion sickness
• diet pills, “stay awake” drugs, and other medications with stimulants (e.g., caffeine, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine)

Also, taking cannabidiol (CBD) products and driving can be dangerous. CBD can cause sleepiness, sedation, and lethargy. Because of these side effects, consumers should use caution if planning on operating a motor vehicle after consuming any CBD products.

Some Sleep Medicines Can Impair You, Even the Next Morning

People with insomnia have trouble falling or staying asleep. Many take medicines to help sleep. Come morning, though, some sleep medicines could make you less able to perform activities for which you must be fully alert, including driving.

A common ingredient in a widely prescribed sleep medication is zolpidem, which belongs to a class of medications called sedative-hypnotics. The FDA has found that medicines containing zolpidem, especially extended release forms, can impair driving ability and other activities the next morning.

Zolpidem immediate and extended-release forms are marketed as generic drugs and under these brand names:

• Ambien and Ambien CR (oral tablet)
• Edluar (tablet placed under the tongue)
• Intermezzo (tablet placed under the tongue)
• Zolpimist (oral spray)

People who take sleep medicines should talk to their health care professional about ways to take the lowest effective dose. Don’t assume that non-prescription sleep medicines are necessarily safer alternatives. The FDA is also evaluating the risk of next-day impairment with other insomnia drugs, both prescription and OTC versions.

Allergy Medicines Can Affect Your Ability to Drive

For allergy sufferers, medications containing antihistamines can help relieve many different types of allergies, including hay fever. But these medicines may interfere with driving and operating heavy machinery (including driving a car). Antihistamines can slow your reaction time, make it hard to focus or think clearly, and may cause mild confusion even if you don’t feel drowsy.

Read the OTC Drug Facts label of your medicine and understand the warnings before using it. Also, avoid drinking alcohol or taking sleep medications while using some antihistamines. Those combinations can increase the sedative effects of antihistamines.

How to Avoid Driving Impaired

You can still drive safely while taking most medications. Talk to your health care provider about possible side effects. For example, some antihistamines and sleep medications work for longer periods than others. You might feel the sedating effects of these medications for some time after you’ve taken them, and maybe even into the next day.

Doctors and pharmacists can tell you about known side effects of medications, including those that interfere with driving. You can also request printed information about the side effects of any new medicine.

To manage or minimize side effects while driving, your health care provider may be able to adjust your dose, adjust the timing of when you take the medicine, or change the medicine to one that causes fewer side effects for you.

Here are some more tips:

• Always follow directions for use and read warnings on medication packaging, or handouts provided by the pharmacy.
• Don’t stop using your medicine unless your prescriber tells you to.
• Tell your health care provider about all the products you are taking, including prescription, OTC, and herbal products. Also, let them know about any reactions you experience.