Drivers who take prescription medicine should consult their pharmacist about whether it is safe for them to operate a vehicle after doing so, the Irish Pharmacy Union has said.
The union said it was urging drivers to be aware of the dangers of driving after taking medicines, particularly those which can cause drowsiness.
It comes after RTÉ reported a Road Safety Authority (RSA) internal report showed 30 per cent of people who died in road crashes in Ireland in 2013 had taken prescription medicine.
The report examined 109 coroners’ reports and found 31 per cent of those who died in crashes had consumed alcohol, while 30 per cent had taken a prescription medicine.
The report stated: “Prescription medication includes drugs that legally require a medical prescription to be dispensed and include drugs such as benzodiazepines, antidepressants, antipsychotics and antiepileptic drugs.
Sedative hypnotic
“Initial observation would indicate that presence of prescription medications appear to be over-represented in road traffic collision (RTC) fatalities, with 34 (30 per cent) of all RTC fatalities having prescription medication found on toxicology. Benzodiazepine, a sedative hypnotic, was the most common prescription medication on toxicology.”
Irish Pharmacy Union executive committee member Caitriona O’Riordan said the data was very disturbing.
“Neither the gardaí nor the RSA know if the medications that the unfortunate crash victims concerned were taking had been prescribed or were obtained illegally.
“The key point is that there are possible side-effects from some medications, and it’s vitally important that before driving people should ask their pharmacist if there is any possibility that the medicine may impact on their ability to drive safely,” she said.
“Many medications carry warnings to be aware of the dangers of drowsiness or other side-effects, and those warnings are there for a reason; it is absolutely vital that everyone taking medications discusses possible side-effects with their pharmacist and also reads the advisory notes with the medication,” she said.
