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New drug\drive laws HELP!!!

Posted , 5 users are following.

adam5764
adam5764

Hi my names Adam,

                         I am worried sick over this new law I drive for a living transproting hospital items (Blood/Orgen transport) I am trained to class A licence and can if needed drive Blues and two's (Siren & Blue Strobes) BUT I HAVE A HISTORY , I have been on 50ml Metherdone/20mg valium and 10mg mst's (morphine 10ml 4x per day) for the last 20 years, i was on bigger amounts but reduced to this level done NA-Meettings (were I got the job as was post-man) So now were do I stand As i have my normal driving licence and my work private amberlance licence, I drive long distances around the country and am alert and as normal as everyone one else ,My work know my legaly prescribed drugs and the norm has been if ,I ever felt they effected me I would not drive but take today i woke up took my meth 80ml and 10ml valium at 8am, drove to work got in at 9:15am buy 10am i was doing 95mph Blues & 2's along the A1 to sur-ply o-neg blood to a Fatel RTA (Road traffic accerdent) but I i work out these levels i am way over the limit which we worked out is 15mg valium and 25ml meth mxium per day, these are very low doses, you would get proberly 15mg valium if you has whiplash.. the goverment needs to sort this or alot people are going to be off the road: take a cancer patient probley on 6x60mg of mst's aday, i could think of loads people who will be over on there perscribed drugs (its 80mg per day of morphine) but everyone is diffrent, the equipment the police have only give a yes or no response with a un-legal reading, if your yes then your taken for a bloodtest at the station, its not going to work as if you took 15ml valium at 7am your be over but after around 2 hours depending on your weight,height,if you have eaten or drunk you could be under or over by 9am, they cant police this! I know police officers that take high codine/morphine pain killers that would put the over its crazy, take the meth the goverment are sayying bettween 1ml-25ml is the levels ,thats nuts as Gp's always start you at 40ml when you first go in for treatment.....

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • tootsie58
    tootsie58 adam5764

    Posted

    Hi Adam

    Exactly what is it that you are saying. That there are lots of people taking prescribed

    drugs and not realising what could happen if they were stopped and tested and failing.

    I am so glad that i am not the only one that feels that ones weight, height etc can make a diffference to each person. This is why I will never understand when some one has been prescribed them in the first place. It seems to me one dose fits all.

    • adam5764
      adam5764 tootsie58

      Posted

      just looking for help one the dose's exactly for meth and Valium . It can't be worked out as its like with drink you lose so much per hour! Think we need start a pertision to local MP as we can't know how much of each pills or meth one can take as weight,size,motaberlizam all makes a difference on each person!!, 
  • tootsie58
    tootsie58 adam5764

    Posted

    I dont know for what reason you are taking your drugs. It is no one leses bussiness

    but you are probably aware that they should be for short term use at most 4 weeks.

    You have said that you have taken them for a number of years. My main concern is as you have stated how much is your system that could make you as they say over the limit. What happens then that you feel taht you will ahve no choice to reduce said drugs. And if this is not done the proper way thsi can cause problems.

    i am not a Dr i am just a victim of Valium myself and for me it was a difficult job to taper off.

    Are we going to have people thinking . That they had better stop taking their drugs cold turkey so to speak. Not realising what the outcome of doing this can do to them. i really dont know what to say. What i can say is that i am so angry that because of the changes with the prescribing of Benzodiazapines that Drs havent a clue on how to taper you off them Or even worse they tell you to just stop taking them. But try explaining if you do have withdrawal side effects that it is because of the drugs you had been taking in the past. There should of been more thought as to how they were going to stop people and testing them and what the outcome should be regarding what happens next.

    • adam5764
      adam5764 tootsie58

      Posted

      I am on Valium for panic attacks, of basically being in a small space i.e. a van hours on end, was on 65mg been down to 12mg but now 22mg ,was as and when needed but for last few years it's been normal to take my full dose in morning along with my metherdone which was at 135ml a day at one point 20 years ago for drugs, No 26 years ago but for last ten years I've been stable at 50ml ! Without it I wouldn't be able to walk let alone drive! With it I'm normal as the next person! ....these new laws go by blood per mg in 100mg but how can they police that as everyone in my NA meetings which is 20-30 people will all be over the limit as the government have put between 1ml to 25ml ,we'll NO one takes 1ml ! The standed starting point is 40ml , and it's not just ex-drug abusers

       

    • adam5764
      adam5764

      Posted

      most cancer patients and people in a lot of pain get put on metherdone , the levels they have set are to small ......as say a 5ft women and a 6ft large man is going to have a lower level in there blood if they both took say a 5ml Valium..
  • jessie51
    jessie51 adam5764

    Posted

    Drugs do affect people it  is why they are taken.   Not a 'pop' at you Adam  but this is a fact.   People claim they are normal and fine, others would differ.  Take this Diazepam carry on,  I took it for over 30 years and thought I was fine, normal but I know myself how much different I am having come off them, I am so much more alert and my reactions are so much faster.  I took them for the relief of muscle spasms and this was one of the reasons I had to give up driving back in the 90s - the spasms not the drugs, which I took to carry on a 'normal' life.   This is a big debate Adam and not one I would like to have to be in a position where I made a decision on a persons ability which is what the police have to do.  I do feel it is wrong that the decision has been put into thier hands.  Older drivers have to go through hoops to continue driving and with thier years of experience are propbably better drivers than anyone but they are treated so badly because of age.   I am not good with words and expressing myself,  I hope you can follow my drift here,  I would say that Dr's should be the ones best able to decide who is a risk - BUT........   Dr's don't seem to understand how much of an effect the drugs they issue have on our lives  as in thier attitude to coming off drugs - how many patients do they need to hear from before they accept that drug withdrawal is horrendous and people suffer so badly that suicide becomes the only answer in a lot of cases?  But still they just say no more.  The police have no idea and are often heavy handed just because they can be and have the law on thier side.  My word Adam I do wish I was good with words and expressing myself!  

    I how you get my drift and hope you get a good response to your question / debate,  it is interesting - thought provoking and very relevant today.

    Best wishes to yourself and your own situation,  please try not to worry your self sick over it,  there are people who drink and drive - best I don't get on my orange box about that particular subject!

    warmest regards

    Jessie x

    • adam5764
      adam5764 jessie51

      Posted

      Yes I get it and thank you, I'm just so worried specially as with in my job I work along side police and have friends who are police and know what my situation is ! I even have a police mate whom whilst working on a undercover unit used drugs and was given another drug that was supposed to block any drugs she took in front of whom ever to gain there trust I suppose but the blocker failed and the met sent her to rehab and she is still a working officer, out of rehab but on 8mg of subutex
    • adam5764
      adam5764

      Posted

      per day which would make her over the limit in the morning until around 3pm she thinks, she does 12hr shifts and I reckon 4-6hours of that she is over the limit driving a traffic unit around the m25 & she isn't the only one, I think a lot of us are going to lose our jobs !!!that is my biggest worrie as I can't reduce that fast.... It's crap isn't it chap....
  • Alan494
    Alan494 adam5764

    Posted

    Adam, I would imagine Hospital should be able to test youj for capability to drive, also if your Meds are prescribed, all you do is show copy of prescription to Police to clear you for having drugs in your system.Hope everything goes OK for you , you do a great job.
  • tootsie58
    tootsie58 adam5764

    Posted

    This is a difficult subject to reply to to be honest. Well i think it is.

    Like Jessie i am now drug free from Diazepam/Valium.

    I also have to say that i am more alert and with time . hopefully things will get better

    What worries me is what thses drugs do to you long term. I became tolerant

    to mine. And realised what was going on and duly came off. And yes i went to hell and back coming off. But am so glad that i did stop using them.

    I can understand Adam where you are coming from with regards to your fears.

    And i know it easy for me to say this as i havent your fears. Is there another job that you can do that will not involve driving driving so much. I dodnt know.

    I often ask myself what if these pills didnt exist. How would one cope then.

    i guess we just had to get on with it as they say. i am not against the use of drugs

    to help people. They are for short term use and that is what it should be used for.

    And yes thank you from me also for what you do. I so wish it could be drug free.

     

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