When you drive, you need your wits about you. That means being fully awake, fully present, and fully focused on the task at hand. Many people know that certain things can make it more difficult to drive safely—drinking alcohol, being sleep deprived, or taking illegal drugs, to name a few.

But many common prescription and over-the-counter medications also pose serious risks to drivers, their passengers, and other motorists. Thankfully, most of those medications include warnings, but not all do. And to make matters worse, doctors and pharmacists don’t always discuss those risks with patients, which means there are millions of drivers who are on medications that can interfere with safe driving and who may not realize it.

Here’s What the FDA Says About the Issue

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that most medications are safe to take and still be able to drive. However, many aren’t due to the side effects they produce.

If any medication you are on causes any of the following side effects, it may be dangerous to drive while the medication is in effect:

• Sleepiness/drowsiness—Any medication that makes it hard to stay awake reduces your ability to focus on the road and puts you at risk of falling asleep behind the wheel.
• Blurred vision—Safe driving requires clear vision, and many medications cause blurry vision due to watery eyes or difficulty focusing on a particular point in the distance.
• Dizziness—When you’re dizzy, it can be difficult to stay upright in your seat and focus on driving.
• Slowed movement and reaction times—Drivers need to be able to react quickly to the movements of other vehicles, but some medications impair this ability.
• Fainting or seizures—Losing consciousness behind the wheel can put drivers at extreme risk of injury-causing and even fatal crashes.
• Impaired focus and concentration—Some medications can cause drivers to feel “loopy,” which can interfere with their ability to stay focused on the road.
• Nausea—Medications that cause nausea can make drivers preoccupied with that sensation, and they may even vomit, which can require pulling over, and is often extremely distracting.
• Anxiety—Calm drivers are safe drivers, but some medications cause anxiety, which can cause drivers to make bad judgments and decisions behind the wheel.

In addition, be aware of how long you may be at risk of experiencing side effects after taking medication.  The FDA warns that medications can affect driving ability for different periods depending on their ingredients and dosages. For example, some medications only affect driving ability for a few hours, while others may impair it for days after a single dose.

What Medications Should Drivers Avoid or Be Cautious About?

Several common medical conditions are treated by drugs that can make driving dangerous. The drug types used to treat these common conditions include:

• Some opioid pain relievers, which can cause nausea and problems focusing
• Some antipsychotic and anti-seizure medications, which can cause drowsiness
• Some antidepressants, which can cause anxiety and drowsiness
• Some cold and anti-allergy medications, which can cause severe drowsiness
• Some eye drops, which can dilate pupils or cause watery, blurry vision
• Some caffeine or stimulant-containing drugs, which can mask exhaustion
• All sleep aids and sleep medications, as they can cause sudden and extreme drowsiness
• All muscle relaxants, as they can result in impaired coordination and muscular control

If you’re prescribed a new medication, always ask your doctor about its potential side effects and how it might impact your ability to drive. In addition, check with your pharmacist, read the medication’s label, and research it online or using its patient guide booklet.

This information can help you determine how it might affect you behind the wheel. If you need to drive, ask your doctor about switching you to a different medication—but never stop taking a medication without speaking to your doctor first.

Knowingly Driving While Impaired Is Negligence—And We Hold Those Drivers Liable

If you were hurt in a crash caused by a driver who was impaired, whether it was due to alcohol, drugs, or prescription medications, they can be held liable for putting you at risk. At Parrish DeVaughn Injury Lawyers, it’s our job to help victims like you get compensation for their medical bills and lost wages after crashes that weren’t their fault.

Contact our Oklahoma car accident lawyers today for a free consultation. We know what you’re going through, and it’s our goal to help. There’s no fee to get in touch with us, and you owe us nothing unless we get money for you.

A wrongful death suit is filed when someone dies due to the negligence of another person or party, and their immediate relatives — parents, children or spouse — seek to claim damages for their death. These cases can be difficult, especially when you’re taking on a major corporation, like a pharmaceutical company.

Millions of Americans get prescriptions filled every single day, and thanks to a 2011 Supreme Court ruling, it can be difficult to file a lawsuit in many cases. Learn about filing a lawsuit against a pharmaceutical company, when and why it gets complicated, and how a wrongful death attorney can be your best bet.

Pharmaceutical Product Liability Claims

A wrongful death suit against a pharmaceutical company falls under product liability. This sort of case holds that someone has been harmed by a dangerous or defective product. This includes food products and prescription medications.

Under strict product liability laws, manufacturers are responsible for any defects that cause injuries, regardless of negligence. This is partly why prescription drugs have a laundry list of potential side effects.

Because of these long warning labels, however, it’s important to have a solid additional liability theory in place to pursue a lawsuit. This could be anything from a side effect wasn’t in the warnings, that the drug was advertised for use contrary to its label, or that there weren’t clear warnings.

The Generic Drug Loophole

The process gets more complicated when one considers generic drugs. The 2011 Pliva v. Mensing decision by the U.S. Supreme Court relieved generic drug manufacturers of this responsibility for injury. This has a lot to do with state regulations being stricter than FDA regulations, but federal law trumping state law.

Pursuing Your Case

Just because this decision was handed down, however, that doesn’t mean you don’t have a case. If you lose a loved one because of a defective drug, you should absolutely look into pursuing a wrongful death suit. You may be eligible to collect funeral expenses, medical expenses up to the time of their death that were related to the drug’s effects, lost wages, lost comfort, and other damages.

In addition, even if the drug in question was generic, there is a new case pending before the courts that may revise certain elements of that decision which can re-open the potential for compensation. Waiting for this decision could cause the statute of limitations for your case to run out, though, so it may be better to file sooner, which can preserve your right to continue to pursue the case when the decision comes down.

Calling a Wrongful Death Attorney

The complexities of a pharmaceutical product liability case, combined with the requirements of a wrongful death case, can make it difficult to know what to do. This is why you should call on the services of a qualified, experienced and knowledgeable wrongful death attorney.

An attorney can advise you the right steps to take to preserve your ability to pursue damages, even if current laws make it tricky. Parrish DeVaughn is experienced at handling all manner of product liability and injury cases and we can help you. Give us a call for help today.