You may avoid drinking and have no history of taking illicit drugs, but did you know that you could still end up with a DWI? Unfortunately, the medications that you take to sleep better, address your allergies or deal with other medical issues can cause impairment and lead to a traffic stop and subsequent arrest with charges.
Prescription medications like opioids or some allergy medications may be legal with your doctor’s approval, but that doesn’t mean that they are actually safe to use before you drive. In fact, some medications can make you drowsy, change your vision or may influence how quickly you perceive what’s happening around you.
Prescription drugs could cause impairment
Sleep aids can cause drowsiness or dizziness. Opioid medications may make you feel nauseated or cause you to vomit, which could impact your ability to drive safely. Anxiety medications might make you feel passive or dissociated. All of these kinds of side effects have the potential to help with your medical condition, but they could negatively influence the way you drive.
How can you avoid DWI charges for taking prescription medications?
To avoid a DWI, the best thing you can do is to take your medications on a day when you’re not going to drive to see how they’ll impact you. If you get dizzy or feel unlike yourself, then you’ll know that you’re not able to drive with the medications in your system at this time. Talk to your medical provider so that they can go over other medication or transportation options with you.
If you do drive and get pulled over, remember to contact an experienced criminal defense attorney to get more information.
