That Drowsy Feeling: Why You Must Think About Medicines and Driving

The Impairment We Ignore

We’re all programmed to understand the dangers of drinking and driving. We get it. But there’s another kind of impairment that we tend to brush off, and it can be just as deadly. It’s the fuzzy-headed, slow-reaction, “I-feel-like-I’m-moving-through-Jell-O” feeling that can come from a surprising number of common medications.

As a lactation consultant, I work with the most sleep-deprived population on the planet: new parents. I know what it’s like to function on three broken hours of sleep. Your baseline is already compromised. When you add a medicine that causes even mild drowsiness on top of that exhaustion, you are putting yourself, your child in the backseat, and everyone else on the road at risk. I’m not trying to scare you; I’m trying to wake you up to a danger we rarely take seriously enough.

What “Impaired” Actually Feels Like

It’s not always about feeling like you’re about to fall asleep at the wheel. The effects can be much more subtle, but just as dangerous.

Impairment from medication can look like:

• • Slowed reaction time: The difference between braking in time and not.
  • Dizziness or feeling faint: Especially when you turn your head.

– Blurred vision: Road signs become hard to read.

• Trouble concentrating: You find yourself drifting into another lane because your mind wandered.
• Poor judgment: You misjudge the speed of an oncoming car when making a left turn.

Basically, anything that slows down the conversation between your brain, your eyes, and your limbs makes you an unsafe driver.

The Usual Suspects in Your Medicine Cabinet

You’d be shocked at what can affect you. It’s not just the heavy-duty stuff.

• The “Drowsy” Antihistamines: Those older allergy medicines are notorious for this. Taking one can be equivalent to being over the legal alcohol limit.
• Opioid Pain Relievers: This one’s a given. Strong pain medicine and driving do not mix.
• Anxiety Meds and Sleeping Pills: Another obvious one, but the effects can linger longer than you think.
• Some Antidepressants: Especially in the first few weeks as your body adjusts.
• Muscle Relaxants: They relax your muscles, including the ones you need to drive.
• Multi-Symptom Cold and Flu Formulas: Many of these contain a cocktail of ingredients, often including a sedating antihistamine to help you sleep. Great for bed, terrible for the road.

The “Next-Day Hangover” Effect

This is a big one that people miss. You take a sleeping pill or a nighttime cold medicine to get a good night’s rest. You wake up eight hours later and think you’re fine. But the medicine might not be done with you yet. It can still be in your system, causing a subtle “hangover” effect that impairs your judgment and reaction time, even if you don’t feel actively sleepy.

The first time you take any new medication with a drowsiness warning, you have to assume you won’t be safe to drive the next morning until you know how it affects you personally.

My Non-Negotiable Rules for Driving Safely

This is all about creating simple, unbreakable rules for yourself.

1. Read the Label. Every Time. Look for those warnings about drowsiness, dizziness, or operating machinery. Take them seriously. They are there for a reason.
2. When in Doubt, Don’t Drive Out. If you feel even a little “off,” find another way. Call a friend, use a ride-share, take the bus. It’s an inconvenience that could save a life.
3. Talk to Your Pharmacist. They are a goldmine of information. Ask them directly: “Is it safe for me to drive while taking this?”
4. Don’t Mix and Match. Adding alcohol or another sedative drug to a medicine that already causes drowsiness is multiplying the danger exponentially. Just don’t.

Your ability to drive safely is a huge responsibility. Let’s make sure we’re honoring it, especially when our precious cargo is in the back.