Considering that such drugs change brain functioning and could impair a patient’s driving ability, researchers from Taiwan encourage physicians to advise their patients not to drive while taking medications like OTC sleep aids.
In his own words which were quoted below, the lead researcher, Hui-Ju Tsai of the National Health Research Institutes in Zhunan said:
"Our findings underscore that people taking these psychotropic drugs should pay increased attention to their driving performance in order to prevent motor vehicle accidents,"
The researchers came up to the result of the study upon participating approximately 5,200 people involved in fatal car accidents and then compared their drug use with that of more than 31,000 people with no record of any severe traffic accidents.
The said study that was published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology last September 13, suggested that those people involved in car accidents were more likely to have been taking psychotropic drugs for any span of time.
Incidentally, based on previous research, there was a link found between certain drugs used to treat anxiety and insomnia, known as benzodiazepines and car crashes. Other than that, the researchers also inspected the effects of anti-depressants, anti-psychotics and latest medications used to treat insomnia, known as Z-drugs.
It could be remembered that almost a couple of months ago, the estranged wife of New York governor, Andrew Kuono and daughter of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy was involved in a car accident that led to her arrest. Accordingly, the incident was blamed to sleeping pill which Kennedy probably mistakenly taken instead of her daily thyroid pill.
Going back to the said study, the researchers further claimed that the link between benzodiazephines and car accidents was also found to both Z-drugs and anti-depressants. They also pointed out that, however, even high doses of antipsychotics were not directly associated with an increased risk of serious car accidents.
Furthermore, Tsai stated in the journal’s news release that physicians and pharmacists should prefer safer treatments and natural sleep remedies, give their patients with accurate information and advise them not to drive while taking certain psychotropic medications.
Moreover, the study found out that the higher the dosage of the psychotropic drugs, the higher the patients’ accident risk increases.
Meanwhile, the researchers claimed that patients should not be refrained from taking their medication. They just have to consult their doctors if they are concerned about the increased risk of car accidents.
Although the recent study revealed a link between psychotropic medication and car accidents it does not impose a cause-and-effect relationship, reminded by the researchers.
Image Credits
http://allaboutlosangelesattorneys.blogspot.com/2012/09/tips-to-prevent-drowsy-driving.html
