Don t let a cold medicine cause a big accident

Mondo Health Updated on 2024-01-30

I took cold medicine this morning, but I was tired and sleepy all morning......

It's a good thing you don't drive, otherwise it will become a "drug drive"!Under the cold wave, there are many people who catch a cold, so I will ask experts to popularize science todayWhat is "drug driving".

Medical Advisor

Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University.

Qin Yan is the pharmacist in charge.

At present, the cold snap is sweeping, and many people are suffering from colds. Some people take cold medicine before driving, so they have uncomfortable symptoms such as dizziness and drowsiness, ranging from falling asleep on the side of the road to causing traffic accidents.

Here's a reminder:

"Drug driving" is as dangerous as "drunk driving"!

What is "drug driving"?

"Drug driving"., which means that the driver still drives after taking certain drugs that may affect safe driving.

Not only limited to the above-mentioned "drowsiness" and "drowsiness", but also the harm of "drug driving" brings various risks due to the different ingredients of the drug

Some drugs can inhibit the central nervous system, and after taking it, you may experience drowsiness, dizziness, etc., difficulty concentrating, and are prone to accidents while driving.

Some drugs contain alcohol, and driving after taking the drug is tantamount to drunk driving.

Some medications can dilate the pupils, causing blurred vision, which can lead to blurred vision.

Some medications can cause disorientation, cause hearing loss, profuse sweating, and even collapse when taken, and can also affect driving.

What are some of the medications that can cause "drug driving"?

The World Health Organization has listed seven categories of drugs that may affect safe driving after taking them, and proposed that driving should be prohibited after taking these drugs. These seven categories of drugs include:

Antihistamines

Representative drugs: chlorpheniramine maleate, diphenhydramine, etc.).

The main effect of this type of drug is to alleviate the allergic symptoms of the human body, but these drugs have a significant inhibitory effect on the central nervous system, often drowsiness, dizziness, headache and fatigue, tremors, tinnitus and hallucinations, etc., which have a greater impact on driving.

Antidepressant anxiety drugs

Representative drugs: chlorpromazine, fluoxetine, etc.).

These drugs are used for anxiety disorders** or to relieve anxiety and are associated with depressive symptoms**, and can cause adverse reactions such as epigastric discomfort, fatigue, drowsiness, tremor, stiffness, slowness, and even tardive dyskinesia.

Sedative-hypnotic drugs

Representative drugs: clonazepam, es**, etc.).

These drugs have sedative, hypnotic and anticonvulsant effects on patients, and some drugs have a long half-life, and the sequelae can still occur the next day after taking the drugs.

Antipyretic analgesics

Representative drugs: ibuprofen, aspirin, etc.).

If you overdose on ibuprofen, you will experience symptoms such as drowsiness, nausea, vomiting and pain in the upper abdomen, and taking aspirin can cause dizziness, tinnitus, amblyopia, drowsiness, paresthesias, numbness and other uncomfortable symptoms.

Antihypertensive drugs

Representative drugs: clonidine, prazosin, etc.).

People with high blood pressure may have a hypotensive reaction when taking medication irregularly or in too large doses, causing dizziness, fatigue and weakness, which affects driving.

Anti-epileptic drugs

Representative drugs: phenytoin, carbamazepine).

Antiepileptic drugs may inhibit neurons in the brain and have a depressive effect on the central nervous system. Its adverse reactions are: drowsiness, dizziness, balance disorder, fatigue, blurred vision and tremor.

Hypoglycemic drugs

Representative drugs: insulin, etc.).

Hypoglycemic drugs have the effect of lowering blood sugar, and may cause blood sugar changes during the course of medication. Hypoglycemia is the most frequent adverse reaction of hypoglycemic drugs** and often occurs suddenlyInsulin use** may cause gastrointestinal disorders, transient edema, and abnormal visual function, all of which can jeopardize driving safety.

In fact, there are far more drugs that affect safe driving. For example, the cough suppressant dextromethorphan, which may cause dizziness;Drugs such as levofloxacin, metronidazole, and tinidazole may cause headache, dizziness, etc.;Nitroglycerin and atropine, etc., are easy to cause blurred vision after taking them**Digoxin for heart failure, color vision abnormalities will also occur after taking it.

How to stay away from "drug driving"?

In order to avoid "drug driving", according to the doctor's advice, it is best not to drive while taking the medicine.

In addition, please pay attention to the following points when taking the medicine:

1.If you have a driving need, you should take the initiative to inform your doctor when you see a doctor, and ask the doctor to avoid prescribing drugs that will adversely affect safe driving.

2.Before taking the drug, you must read the drug instructions carefully, especially the "adverse reactions, precautions, dosage, contraindications", etc., and take the drug strictly according to the doctor's instructions.

3.Do not overdose. Improper drug dosage, repeated medication and drug interactions can easily cause adverse drug reactions.

4.If you must take it, you should drive at least 6-8 hours after taking the drug, and stop driving immediately if you have drowsiness, drowsiness, distraction, slow reaction, dizziness, tinnitus, blurred vision, difficulty in color discrimination, poor orientation, etc. during the medication.

We must raise awareness of the risks of "drug driving" and do not leave anything to chance.

Editor: Chen Zheng.

*: Huxiaokang WeChat***

*: Picture Worm Creative.

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