can anyone help re medication making me unfit for work?

Skint_yet_Again

Sorry if I've posted in the wrong place but hoping someone can advise me

Where do I stand if my medical condition (covered by Equality Act, recognised by HR/Occ Health/special equipment and reasonal adjustments in place) is not making me unfit for work, but if I take the medication recommended by my physio and prescribed by my GP I am unable to function for most of the day and would not be able to drive to work or think clearly enough to function at work even if I managed to get to work on the bus?

If I dont take the medication my condition does not worsen but may take longer to improve

Thanks for any help x

Evilm

Well are there suitable adjustments that can be made? Eg. Are you part time so that you can work flexi hours?

Ultimately if the condition makes you too unreliable and reasonable adjustments cannot be made then the employer can dismiss you for capability reasons even if its covered under the Equality Act. It does extend how much they have to do before they do it though.

Skint_yet_Again

Thanks for your reply. Its not my condition that is making me unfit for work, its the medication recommended. I can go to work and complete my hours with the adjustments in place, but my condition is not improving. The medication recommended would only be short term but at present I am not taking it as it makes me unable to function normally and would make me unable to work.
Think I will to go back to the doc and see if they can give me some other meds without the side effects

Takeaway_Addict

If the medicine makes you sick that is helping a condition covered by the equality act then I would say you are still covered so you maybe able to go of sick without it being counted against your total of sickness (or at least some of it maybe discounted).

Its like having treatment for cancer, you maybe able to operate with the cancer but the chemo itself may make you not fit for work. That would be covered

Evilm

I agree. The condition causes you to take the medication - the medication means you can't work - ergo the condition causes the issues with being able to work.

If its only short term it may be easier to negotiate some 'dealing with it' time when this happens - not ideal but if they have some assurance that giving you the time to sort it and work out a good treatment plan is shorter and cheaper than training up a newbie...

Ultimately talk to them and talk to your doctor.