{"id":431850,"date":"2026-01-27T01:43:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T01:43:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/431850\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T01:43:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T01:43:19","slug":"drivers-warned-they-may-need-to-avoid-driving-if-using-these-common-medications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/431850\/","title":{"rendered":"Drivers warned they may need to ‘avoid driving’ if using these common medications"},"content":{"rendered":"

Insurance experts warn that drivers taking common medications including painkillers and antidepressants may be told to avoid drivingSam Dimmer<\/a> East Midlands Head of Brand and Luke Chillingsworth<\/p>\n

06:27, 26 Jan 2026<\/p>\n

\"Frustrated<\/p>\n

Road users could become drowsy behind the wheel if using certain drugs(Image: Getty)<\/p>\n

The DVLA may advise drivers to “avoid driving” if they’re frequently taking certain common medicines<\/a>, according to industry specialists.<\/p>\n

Greg Wilson, founder of car insurance experts at Quotezone.co.uk, cautioned that everyday over-the-counter treatments such as painkillers could pose issues.<\/p>\n

Additionally, regular use of potent medications, including antidepressants, could place individuals at risk while operating a vehicle<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Greg warned that in such situations, motorists are likely to be advised against driving, effectively preventing them from using the roads.<\/p>\n

Greg acknowledged: “If you are on strong medications, it is likely that you will be recommended to avoid driving.<\/p>\n

“Opioid painkillers, tranquillisers, and certain antidepressants are examples of medicines that can affect driving ability<\/a> – as well as those that cause drowsiness or say ‘do not operate heavy machinery.”<\/p>\n

GOV.UK has previously cautioned that prescription medicines can occasionally be equally hazardous as illegal substances.<\/p>\n

They encouraged motorists taking drugs such as amphetamine, for instance, dextroamphetamine or selegiline, to consult their GP before taking to the road.<\/p>\n

Those prescribed clonazepam, diazepam, flunitrazepam and lorazepam may also face risks when driving. Officials have additionally highlighted medications such as methadone, reports the Express<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Morphine, codeine, tramadol, fentanyl, oxazepam or temazepam are also of concern.<\/p>\n

GOV.UK clarified: “It’s illegal in England, Scotland and Wales to drive with legal drugs in your body if it impairs your driving<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“It’s an offence to drive if you have over the specified limits of certain drugs in your blood and you have not been prescribed them.”<\/p>\n

The AA has previously advised motorists to never cease taking their medication, whether prescribed or over-the-counter. Should individuals have doubts about their fitness to drive, they should always consult with a chemist or GP and heed the guidance of medical professionals.<\/p>\n

The AA outlined that for therapeutic drugs, the thresholds are set above typical prescribed amounts, meaning drivers should generally be able to operate vehicles normally.<\/p>\n

They noted that a medical defence exists for those taking medication as instructed who are subsequently found to exceed the limit.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, road users face difficulties defending themselves when caught driving whilst under the influence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Insurance experts warn that drivers taking common medications including painkillers and antidepressants may be told to avoid drivingSam…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":431851,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[97,243,87286],"class_list":{"0":"post-431850","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-medication","10":"tag-motoring"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=431850"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431850\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/431851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=431850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=431850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=431850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}