1. Community
  2. Mental health
  3. Mental Health

Would my meds stop the DVLA giving me a licence?

Posted , 7 users are following.

kathy82501
kathy82501

I have paranoid schizophrenia, ocd, traits of bpd and severe depression.  I take mirtazapine anti depressants.  I have been prescribed quetiapine 25mg tablets to be taken 4 times per day to see if it will even me out in some way.  A friend told me that I should have a bus pass from my local council due to my mental health issues.  My friend told me to speak to the DVLA to ask them if they would give me a driving licence (I have never had one) due to my mental health.  I spoke to a really helpful guy who told me that the DVLA have no issue with someone who suffers from the mental health issues I have driving a vehicle!!  I was shocked!  He then asked me if I took any medication so I told him about the mirtazapine and have just been prescribed quetiapine as well.  He said if the tablets cause drowsiness and would impair my judgement then they would not allowe me to have a licence. I was told to ask my GP for a letter.  I was wondering if anyone has any advice on any of this or have any of you gone through this?  i haven't taken it yet but will this quetiapine cause drowiness and impairment of judgement?  I dont want to make a fool out of myself asking my GP for a letter if quetiapine does not cause these side effects.  I dont like wasting my doctor's time ... thanks for any thoughts or advice

1 like, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • kerry15755
    kerry15755 kathy82501

    Posted

    Yes it can make you drowiness when you first start talking it,so you will need to give yourself time to get used to it all the best take care Kerry

     

    • Sister_Stigma
      Sister_Stigma kerry15755

      Posted

      25mg of quetiapine is or will have little effects such as feeling drowsy.. if she were taking dosage of 500mg - 800mg of this drug which most ppl diagnosed with schizophrenia are given ..then yes it makes u drowsy..
  • Sister_Stigma
    Sister_Stigma kathy82501

    Posted

    I doubt that the quetiapine will make you feel that drowsy.. I am diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia and i also take quetiapine.. you take 25mg of this drug??? Thats a very low dose ..as i take 800mg a day...but im still capable of driving..when i applied for a driving licence As It didnt ask what if any, illnesses i had i didnt give that information.. but im sure you can get one, as for informing them of what drugs u take, its not compulsary to inform them of that either ..the only time where you are not supposed to drive is after you have had a psychotic breakdown and are not allowed to drive for 6 months..if you do and you have an accident your insurance policy will not cover you..anyway your doctor will tell you not to drive aswell. wow..u say u have paranoid schizophrenia?.. dont understand that your only taking 25mg of quetiapine.. where most ppl with the illness are on an average dosage of 500mg to the max dosage allowed on the drug which is 800mg per day.. i also take amisulpride which is another anti-psychotic ..and take velafaxine for clinical depression .im on a variety of other  drugs, but ive never felt the need to inform the DVLA of what i am taking.. aslong as you dont feel drowsy its fine to drive..but if u do feel drowsy then its best not to drive..over the last 10yrs it seems ppl are believing they can be diagnosed with a variety of mental illnesses when u say u have "traits" of bi-polar.. then i doubt you have it as if you did u cant just choose what parts of the illness u have..if you do have it ..you get the full package.. why do ppl go around giving themselves a mutitude of mental illnesses.. its crazy...yes i have clinical depression but that is due to the effects of having schizophrenia...if your psychiatrist really thought you had full blown paranoid schizophrenia ..believe me..25mg is not going to help in any way... why you feel the need to telll us all about the different things u suffer from..i dont know...anyway.. its up to you if u want to inform the DVLA of the meds ur on....as its not obligatory
    • WalkingPharmacy
      WalkingPharmacy Sister_Stigma

      Posted

      It's not the medication which requires you to inform DVLA though, it is the Illness or disability.

      Hi there, 

      sounds like you aren't aware that you need to disclose your medical problems. 

      I answered Kathy lower down, so I won't repeat it all again, but I'll just paste the main points here:

      Regardless of what meds you are taking, the DVLA website gives you advice on what conditions are reportable.

      The list is at the link below, and if you click on the link below it brings up a list of medical conditions and disabilitys:

      https://www.gov.uk/health-conditions-and-driving

      Click on the one you are suffering from, and it tells you exactly what to do, for example, I suffer from Bipolar Type II.  Click on Bipolar, and it tells me "You must tell DVLA if you have bipolar disorder."

    • NickOliver
      NickOliver WalkingPharmacy

      Posted

      If you don't inform the DVLA (presumably on the advice of your doctor) your doctor should. When I was ill 7 years ago and came out of hospital I discovered that my licence was missing. I think that there was an acknowledgement from the DVLA. I don't remember the circumstances of that admission (voluntary) and I have never asked because presumably it was not pleasant. I have no idea how "they" ie my family found my licence because I am single and my things were then not particularly tidy.

      I took mirt about 12.30 last night and for much of the day I have been fairly dopy. So clearly to have driven in such circumstances would have been insane. Even more so with quetiapine which I| was on for 4 months.

      And my own experience is that it is only when you go to cross the road or, as in my case, singing in a choir that you realise the effects of the med ie a situation requiring decisionmaking.

       

  • kathy82501
    kathy82501

    Posted

    Maybe I worded it wrong but its 25 mg x 4 times per day .... from what you guys have said perhaps it wont cause drowsiness .... I was trying to see if I could get a concessionary bus pass which is why I was asking if the quetiapine would cause drowiness
  • NickOliver
    NickOliver kathy82501

    Posted

    I had my licence taken away from me when I was admitted to hospital 8 years ago. I had considered applying for my licence back but I live in London and I qualify for a Freedom Pass because I cannot drive through not being able to drive through etc etc.

    Also when I was on quetiapine until recently I was like a zombie in the morning even when I took it the night before.

    In addition I am still on mirtazipine and I still feel driowsy in the morning.

    See https://patient.info/doctor/fitness-to-drive

    Then I quote from that site:

    "If the licence holder cannot or will not advise DVLA of their condition, the doctor should consult GMC guidelines at www.gmc-uk.org"

    Finally I don't think that it is a civil right to drive. A car is a dangerous weapon.

    Patient Moderator Note: I have removed an URL (a link) from this reply as it was unsuitable for inclusion within these forums however I have provided a suitable replacement. Sorry for any inconvenience.

  • kathy82501
    kathy82501

    Posted

    Thanks a lot for that, it was a good help
  • WalkingPharmacy
    WalkingPharmacy kathy82501

    Posted

    Regardless of what meds you are taking, the DVLA website gives you advice on what conditions are reportable.

    The list is at the link below, and if you click on the link below it brings up a list of medical conditions and disabilitys:

    https://www.gov.uk/health-conditions-and-driving

    Click on the one you are suffering from, and it tells you exactly what to do, for example, I suffer from Bipolar Type II.  Click on Bipolar, and it tells me "You must tell DVLA if you have bipolar disorder."

    I need to fill out two forms, as I am an HGV driver, and I expect I will loose my HGV (Vocational license) and after some debate I hope to be allowed to keep my car licence.

    Note:  You can be fined up to £1,000 if you don’t tell DVLA about a medical condition that affects your driving. You may be prosecuted if you’re involved in an accident as a result.

    It isn't necessarily a straight yes/no to the form.  You may need to see a Doctor who does work for them.

    I had a severe back operation in 2002, resulting in some further problems.  At that time they made me see their Doctor and then called me to clear up some confusion, and I was allowed to keep my licences.  It wasn't something they seemed to take lightly.  They made very thorough enquiries at the time before making their decision.

    As regards the 25mg x 4 per day, that would be a starting dose to see if it helps, and to increase slowly to avoid side affects.

    It's not the medication which requires you to inform DVLA though, it is the Illness or disability.

    Good luck sweetheart.

  • NickOliver
    NickOliver kathy82501

    Posted

    I have checked on the DVLA website and Paranoid Schizophrenia are conditions for which one is supposed to inform the DVLA.

    I live in London and the fact that I am not able to drive gives me a Freedom Pass which allows me to go anywhere in London on public transport for free, so there are some advantages of not being allowed to drive.

    • WalkingPharmacy
      WalkingPharmacy NickOliver

      Posted

      Yes,  I'm in a similar situation Nick.  I suffer from a variety of physical issues too; I was disabled at 34 already,  and I am now actually relieved to be facing loosing my HGV entitlement,  as I am too ill to work anymore, and have been on the sick for four years now.  

      Loosing my licence will add weight to not being able to work, as I'm only 46, so I think I will be facing a fight. I've been so ill the last few years, I haven't even been sending my sick notes in for the last 2 1/2 ish years. 

      Even driving a car more than 30 miles doesn't appeal to me at all now, whereas I used to drive hundreds of miles at work and jump in the car Friday after work, and drive another 150 miles to Wales for the weekend, without a thought. 

      I just hope they don't go after my car licence.  I'd be totally lost without it.  

  • tersia03817
    tersia03817 kathy82501

    Posted

    Hi Kathy,

    I doubt such a small dose of q will make you feel drowsy, especially if you take it at night. By morning the drowsyness should have worn down. I take 175mg a day, and I take it at 8pm. By 9am the next day, I'm functioning fine. I drive a car and I know when I'm drowsy, so I NEVER drive at night after taking my guitiapine. As long as you act responsibly, you should be fine.

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.