If you have prescription medication from a doctor, you probably don’t worry about the medication. You might assume that you can just take this medication and continue with your normal routine. But, a prescription doesn’t mean that you can do whatever you want. Having a prescription doesn’t mean that certain medications will not affect on your body. Prescription pills are drugs that can impact your life. They can affect your ability to work and prevent you from completing everyday tasks. They can also affect your ability to operate a motor vehicle. Before operating a motor vehicle under the influence of prescription pills consider this information.

Prescribed Medication And Driving

When prescribed medication by a doctor, that doctor will likely tell you what you can and cannot do while taking the medication. For example, the doctor should tell you not to operate a motor vehicle if a medication makes you drowsy. If the medication will affect your ability to drive, you shouldn’t drive for a certain amount of time. Having prescription medication doesn’t mean that you won’t face a motor vehicle violation charge. You cannot operate a car under the influence of this medication.

In general, you want to avoid medication that will make you drowsy if you plan on driving. Common ingredients in medication that could make you drowsy are:

• Brompheniramine.
• Chlorpheniramine.
• Clemastine.
• Diphenhydramine.
• Doxylamine.

These drugs are forms of antihistamines. If you are taking a medication with an antihistamine in it, you should not drive. These ingredients also exist in over the counter medication. This means that you should make sure that you check the label for any over the counter medication that you buy.

It is also important to make sure that you do not abuse your prescription medication. You should not take too much of it or mix it with alcohol or other drugs if the label warns against this action. Even prescribed medication can cause you to be pulled over if you do not use it correctly.

Getting Charged

Prescription medication can cause you to drive unsafely. You might swerve in and out of lanes, drive too fast or too slow, or commit some other motor vehicle violation. If pulled over by the police, they could think that you are driving under the influence of medication. If this happens, you can be charged with many offenses including driving under the influence (DUI). Many people think that they can only be arrested for DUI if they are drinking and driving. This is not true! The law extends to drugs, including prescription drugs that should not be used when driving. On top of a DUI charge, you could face another motor vehicle violation. Other motor vehicle violations include speeding, reckless driving, passing in the improper lane, etc.

Protecting Your Rights

To avoid these issues, you should always be careful when taking prescribed medication. You also want to be careful when taking over the counter drugs. If pulled over and you have recently taken medication, there are defenses. Contact my office to explore these defenses. We can sit down and review your case, and I am happy to answer any questions that you might have.