Can you drive after taking prescription medicine for pain?

Question

Can you drive after taking prescription medicine for pain?

Answer 1

Yes you can, whether you should is up to you. Some medications for pain like acetaminophen, have no impact on eye-hand coordination, opiate derivatives may make you drowsy and diminish your reaction time. You should not drive or operate machinery the first time you take a medication, you need to determine how it affects you first. But, pain medicine intake does not always preclude you from driving.

Answer 2

Every hospital in the country has a policy against allowing you to drive after giving you narcotics. That's because the threat of lawsuits runs the world. While reaction times are slowed in the narcotic-naive, those who take them chronically have driving records as good as the general population. Caution is called for, but an absolute "no" is too harsh.

Answer 3

It depends on what medication it is. If it is a medication that would affect your ability to drive or operate machinery safely it SHOULD have a warning sticker/label on the medication bottle.

Answer 4

It depends on the type of medication.  Driving under the influence of narcotics is considered to be a "DWI" or driving while intoxicated.  Some other medications like Lyrica or Gapapentin are ok once your body is used to them.  NSAIDS like prescription level ibuprofen or naproxin are totally ok.  Celebrex label says that drowsiness can be a side effect, but since it is an NSAID, you should be ok.