Prescription Drugs and Driving Under the Influence

As the prescription drug industry has developed and grown over the past 50 years, it has become increasingly more common for patients to be taking one or more medications. These drugs can help to stabilize a patient's illness, mental health, pain, injury, or other affliction. Pain medication in particular is a popularly prescribed drug for injuries and post-surgery recovery. While these drugs can do wonders for a patient's recovery, they can also induce a drug dependency that can be hard to kick once a patient's prescription runs out.

Effects on Your Driving

Many prescription drugs have a sedative effect that can make it difficult to focus and react quickly, making it risky to drive on medication. For some medications, trying to drive while medicated is equivalent to driving drunk. While most states do not have a specific law against driving while medicated, if you are under the influence of any drug while driving, you could be arrested for a DUI. Whether the drug is legal or illegal, the police are typically more focused on how the substance negatively affects your driving performance.

Addiction and Illegal Possession

A second problem with prescription drugs is that individuals who have been on a certain medication for a long time may experience sudden mental and physical withdrawal symptoms when drug use is discontinued. They may become desperate for more of the drug and seek out underground markets if they can no longer obtain the drug legally. If you find yourself in this situation, you have become a victim of drug abuse. Over time you may increase your dosage to keep experiencing the same pleasurable effects, which could cause you to experience feelings of disorientation, delirium, or other physical and mental effects that make it dangerous to drive.

If you are pulled over while under the influence of prescription drugs that you obtained illegally, you could find yourself arrested not only for a DUI but also for illegal possession of a prescription drug. What started out as a legal and necessary part of your medical recovery could turn into a slew of criminal charges that affect your future for years to come.

For More Information

In most states it is illegal to drive under the influence of any substance, whether it be alcohol, an illegal drug, or a prescription drug. If you have been arrested for driving under the influence of a prescription drug, consider contacting a DUI defense lawyer immediately to protect your rights.