Problems driving

[Malwimmy27]

I was so tired at work yesterday I had difficulty staying awake. Fortunately my matron agreed for me to take half a days leave and have today off as leave also. On the way home I had a problem trying to stay awake it really scared me. I have had this before but not as bad.

I work three twelve and a half hour shifts a week as this allows me to have four days off. I have thought about going back to five seven and a half hour shifts but think this would make things worse. I feel bad for moaning and should just be grateful that I can work.

My butrans patch is due to be changed to twenty mcg today so will be interesting to see how I feel with it. Thankfully my husband is off today so he'll be doing all the necessary driving. Anyway I'll stop whinging. I'm usually very positive and upbeat.

Hope everyone is having as god a day as possible. Gentle hugs to all. Becky xx

[Hidden]

I had to stop driving due to my meds making my reaction times too slow to be safe .. Plus on top up pain days I am so tired... If this is your case too you should be able to claim for a disabled bus pass ... I got one from my local council ... I had to have a GPS letter which I had to pay for but £10 for five years free bus travel was a great exchange.... Obviously you have to get to work ... But on days off if you did feel too tired to drive safely you could get a bus to get you about if you needed to be anywhere and couldn't use the car..

VG x

Ps I don't want to worry you needlessly but have you checked about insurance and driving with the meds you are on... I was told the way the meds made my reaction times slow if I were to carry on driving and had an accident my insurance would be void ..

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi VG, interesting PS, just wondering what particular meds were the insurance talking about and did you have inform them or did they inform you?

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

For me it is my anti depressant and muscle relaxant ... My GP saw me pre medication and then assesed me after a month on them and he said they are controlling my symptoms well but my reaction time is slower and he advised me not to drive as some insurances companies will pay the other party but not for your car ... Some can void it ... And some may just refuse to insure you altogether or charge higher premiums And knowing my reaction times are slower and with fibro fog...I was too scared of running someone over or causing an accident.

I also found out meds with codeine in them can give a false positive for drugs in tests ...

I checked on the web and it says

Many prescription and some over-the-counter medicines can impair your driving ability and increase crash risk by affecting your concentration, mood, coordination and reaction time as a driver.

Some medicines that may affect driving include: sleeping tablets, muscle relaxants, sedatives, antihistamines (such as hay fever or cold and flu medicines) and some strong painkillers.

Not everyone will experience the effects of a drug in the same way.

When you start using a new medicine that may affect your driving, it is best not to drive until you understand and have experienced what effect it actually has on you.

Always check the listed side-effects and follow . If you are unsure about the side effects of your medication or any impact it may have on your driving ability, please consult your doctor or pharmacist.

Obviously some of you may not be affected at all by your meds ....

VGx

[Malwimmy27]

Thanks for that vg. I will check my insurance, the bus pass sounds like a good idea, I might be able to adjust my start and finish times to allow me to use a bus. To be able to have a free pass too would be great. The buses on the isle of wight are really expensive as they have no competition.

Thanks for your help. Becky. X

[Cazie50]

Just wanted to mention something that's helped me stay in work and its the "Access to Work" scheme. I can't use buses anymore as I can't balance to get off a bus when it's moving, hold on anything because my arms are so sore and stiff and I can't stand all the 'jolting' in the buses when they're moving (depending on bus drivers). So I applied for the DWP "Access to Work" scheme and I get taxi's to and from work.

I don't want to give up my work and why should I have to, so this has definitely been great. I've been on it for over 4 years now.

Catherine

[Malwimmy27]

Thanks for that. I will certainly look into both of these. I'm much the sqme in terms of wanting to stay in work.

Thanks again Catherine.

Becky. X