Over the Counter Medicines and Driving

Over the Counter Medicines that Affect Driving

When you see someone driving badly down the road, you probably immediately suspect that they are either under the influence of alcohol. It is easy to blame alcohol for all types of bad driving, but there are actually a number of things which can affect driving ability and a number of them can be purchased at any drugstore or grocery store.

Certain over the counter drugs can create a serious problem if the person who is using them makes the ill thought out decision to get behind the wheel even though they can tell that some of their senses or mental capacity is greatly hindered.

How Drivers under the Influence of Certain OTCs Appear on the Road

For the most part, a person that is on a certain drug that impairs driving ability will be engaging in all the same typical driving patterns of people that are under the influence of alcohol. Look out for certain signs in order to identify these drivers. Indicators that a driver is under the influence of a mind altering OTC drug include:

• Erratic driving in any way

• Fast lane changes which are not carefully thought out. This includes cars that are "road weaving" or quickly changing lanes and weaving between cars.

• Very fast driving-like alcohol, these drugs can cause the driver to be unaware of how they are driving.

• Very slow driving-these drivers find it difficult to operate their vehicle while on the mind alerting OTC and thus slow down to ridiculous paces which they assume will make driving easier. This slow driving can result in serious accidents as it greatly disrupts the natural flow of traffic.

• Swerving-basic things such as staying in one lane can seem like a very difficult endeavor to undertake on these drugs.

What Types of Over the Counter Drugs Cause Mental Impairment

Most people do not have to worry about popping an aspirin or ibuprofen while they are driving unless they have a very specific adverse reaction. But OTC drugs that often cause mental impairment include and should not be combined with driving include:

• Cold and Flu drugs-anything used to treat cold and flu symptoms most likely contain drugs that may alter your mental state.

• Decongestants

• Anti-histamines