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September 22, 2026 \u2014 5:00am<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Cancer survivor Suellen Kirkegaard had been given six months to live when she was prescribed opioids, a group of strong, highly addictive painkillers.<\/p>\n Doctors had discovered a metastatic melanoma three years after her breast cancer surgery and treatment. Immunotherapy \u2013 then limited and expensive \u2013 offered the only hope of improving her prognosis.<\/p>\n \u201cThe oncologist I\u2019d had for my breast cancer \u2026 [was able to get immunotherapy] for me on compassionate grounds,\u201d she said. \u201cOtherwise, six months wasn\u2019t a lot to look forward to.\u201d<\/p>\n Kirkegaard responded well to the treatment, but needed opioids to curb painful side effects; arthritis, joint pain, fatigue and regular bouts of pancreatitis.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout the pain medication, I just would not have been able to function at all,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n While Kirkegaard understood opioids could be addictive, it wasn\u2019t until she met Dr John Gillett, a Toowoomba-based palliative care doctor and Queensland University of Technology PhD researcher, that she learned about the risks associated with driving.<\/p>\n \u201cThe medications say \u2018do not operate heavy vehicles\u2019 and I\u2019m thinking, yeah, I\u2019m not going to be driving a truck,\u201d Kirkegaard said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was only when he [Gillett] mentioned opioids and the capacity to drive [that it] crossed my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n Nearly 3 million Australians are prescribed opioids each year. While strong painkillers such as morphine, oxycodone and fentanyl are not classed as sedatives, they can cause heavy drowsiness and fatigue.<\/p>\n Related Article Patients rely on health professionals to explain possible cognitive impairment, but through his research, Gillett found both doctors and pharmacists were failing to perform this duty of care.<\/p>\n \u201cI [spoke] to a couple of younger women who said, \u2018can we drive? Can we drop the kids off to school? I\u2019m taking these drugs, but nobody can tell me what to do\u2019,\u201d Gillett said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey wanted to ask the question, but nobody wanted to answer.\u201d<\/p>\n Reasons for the oversight were varied, Gillett explained.<\/p>\n In one study<\/a> focused on pharmacists, many discussed the risk of impairment, but did not explicitly tell patients this related to driving, assuming they would make the connection themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I probably never ask if they are driving or not,\u201d one pharmacist told Gillett, continuing that they encourage patients to \u201cdecide how impaired you are and then you decide if you think you\u2019re right to drive\u201d.<\/p>\n Another pharmacist implied that GPs bore greater responsibility to manage driving and opioid use: \u201cI\u2019ve even seen them drive their car and they haven\u2019t even been able to walk in the door, so to me they shouldn\u2019t be driving,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut the doctors will still sign off that they\u2019re capable of driving, and I don\u2019t know how they can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Separate research exploring doctors\u2019 role in assessing drivers found GPs gave mixed advice depending on their experience and relationship with patients.<\/p>\n Many doctors had not received consistent education on driving-impairing medications.<\/p>\n \u201cThe book is very clear on epilepsy and it\u2019s pretty clear on diabetes, but on medication, it\u2019s quite vague,\u201d one senior doctor said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that pushes a lot of \u2026 responsibility and guesswork back onto the GP.\u201d<\/p>\n Overall, Gillett found health professionals leave it up to patients to self regulate driving and initiate concerns.<\/p>\n \u201c[Doctors are] not going to say \u2018oh, I\u2019m worried about these drugs you\u2019re taking, but I know nothing about them\u2019, and then pass that over to the patient,\u201d Gillett said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s probably going to be worse than saying nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Gillett was recently asked to be involved in GP training on the topic of auditing driving privileges, and has written submissions on assessing fitness to drive guidelines.<\/p>\n He said recent cases highlight the importance of improving education across the health sector and ensuring GPs and pharmacists give patients consistent advice.<\/p>\n In 2024, bus driver Brett Button was sentenced to more than two decades in prison for the fatal crash that killed 10 people and injured 25 following a wedding in the NSW Hunter Valley the previous year.<\/p>\n Related Article Throughout the case<\/a>, the court heard that Button had an opioid dependency and had taken a large amount of the painkiller Tramadol through the day of the accident. He admitted he was impaired as a result of the drugs, but did not believe when he got behind the wheel on the day of the crash.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one\u2019s mentioned about the responsibility of doctors and pharmacists to inform [the driver],\u201d Gillett said.<\/p>\n Kirkegaard no longer takes opioids but agreed with Gillett\u2019s calls for consistency and education.<\/p>\n \u201cYou lose so much with a cancer diagnosis, from your hair to your dignity, your self-image \u2026 you want your independence [and] some form of normality,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut you don\u2019t want to put other people at risk either. A car on the road with someone behind it that\u2019s not fully switched on, so to speak, isn\u2019t good either.\u201d<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Cancer](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/5f46be18da55b0c714c9a2ebc81f222c4092df05599ab2c370394148652fd24f.jpeg\")
Cancer survivor Suellen Kirkgaard was not informed about the dangers of driving when she was prescribed opioids. Courtney Kruk<\/p>\n![\"Caboolture](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/16fb606740284823b2ceff0e2ca5954f178ea563ded593a62f7eb564d183fd3a.jpeg\")
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