driver-qualification-handbook-english

2Other drugs and drivingDrugs other than alcohol can affect your ability to drive safely. These include notonly illegal drugs like cannabis (marijuana) but also some medications in prescriptiondrugs and over-the-counter medicines that you might buy from a pharmacy or eventhe supermarket.Some of the legal drugs and medicines that can affect your ability to drive safelyinclude:• Some pain killers.• Medicines for controlling blood pressure, nausea,allergies, inflammations and fungal infections.• Tranquillisers, sedatives and sleeping pills.• Some diet pills and cold and flu medicines.Many medicines or legal drugs that may affect your driving are clearly labelled withwarning labels that look like these:If you are taking any medicines it’s worthwhile reading the labels to check forany warnings about driving. If there is any doubt, ask your doctor or pharmacist(chemist) if these medicines affect the ability to drive safely.If you need to drive but also need to take medicines, ask the doctor or pharmacist ifthere are any alternatives that you could take that would not affect your driving. Butif you are on prescription medicines that may affect your driving, don’t stop takingthem so that you can drive. Talk to your doctor first.Many drugs and medicines stay in your system for a long time. This means that itmight still affect your driving after you have stopped taking them. Your doctor orpharmacist will be able to give you advice.Many drugs and medicines interact with each other in a way that might affect yourability to drive safely. For example, drinking alcohol while on some prescriptiondrugs can be dangerous. So read the labels carefully and check with your doctor orpharmacist for advice.Driver qualification handbook 51