Drink driving

hardpowered

sacsquacco wrote: »

I was nt aware that a lower strength cocodamol (8mg codeine/500paracetamol ) was available over the counter..How many would be affected by 2 x prescription cocodamol at 15/500 or 30/500 , I would say everyone ! and the 2x 30/500 would make people virtually immobile/fuzzy as if they were back in the 60s and stoned.This is an extremely common pain reliever and IMO is far worse than driving on even as much as 3 or 4 pints for the mind changing and confusion it can instill especially to people who are not used to opiates. Maybe a week or so usage will accustom people to it and the effects lessen.Give them to , say an octogenarian with dodgy eyes and traces of senility and you have a real positive danger on the road to be avoided at all costs far far worse than someone on a couple of pints IMO .To say dont drive if affected wont wash with many as its a subjective statement..How many drunks claim to be OK when they are legless ! the same go s for prescription drugs or poor eyesight.
Most sensible countries realised that an absolute zero alcohol tolerance would lead to false negatives but of course some Arab countries and the places heaving with drunks like Russia , Australia and Eastern European places try the zero alcohol stupidity con.

I take that strength Co-Codamol, Morphine sustained release capsules and occasionally even Oramorph.

I'm 23 years old with a chronic condition which impacts my life.

I can take all the medicines and drive just as safely still, as the body becomes tolerant to the effects over time.

I can drive with these medications legally as they are prescribed by a medical professional and because they do not impede my ability to drive.

Why should I not be allowed to drive just because I take drugs for my condition, when it doesn't affect me?

Silver-Surfer_2

hardpowered wrote: »

I take that strength Co-Codamol, Morohine capsules and occasionally even Oramorph.

I'm 23 years old with a chronic condition which impacts my life.

I can take all the medicines and drive just as safely still, as the body becomes tolerant to the effects over time.

I can drive with these medications legally as they are prescribed by a medical professional and because they do not impede my ability to drive.

Why should I not be allowed to drive just because I take drugs for my condition, when it doesn't affect me?

That's fine until something goes wrong and it's decided you were unfit to drive and the end result would be the same as drink drive.

bigjl

Silver-Surfer wrote: »

That's fine until something goes wrong and it's decided you were unfit to drive and the end result would be the same as drink drive.

If they don't impede his ability to drive then how could they be taken into account?

Unless he fell asleep at the wheel I can't see how they could prove anything?

I was cleared by Occy Health to continue to drive on Blues despite being on Co Codamol and Tramadol. Though I was not taking anything like the maximum dosage and never had any side effects.

Silver-Surfer_2

bigjl wrote: »

If they don't impede his ability to drive then how could they be taken into account?

Unless he fell asleep at the wheel I can't see how they could prove anything?

I was cleared by Occy Health to continue to drive on Blues despite being on Co Codamol and Tramadol. Though I was not taking anything like the maximum dosage and never had any side effects.

Your occy health can say what they like but it wouldnt carry no weight if you were to fail an impairment test and a doctor agrees you were impaired at the time and there is a presence of the drug in your system.

bigjl

How can you prove impairment?

Or would that be a decision made by the FME?

Ever seen a Dr overrule the opinion of another Dr?

Silver-Surfer_2

bigjl wrote: »

How can you prove impairment?

Or would that be a decision made by the FME?

Ever seen a Dr overrule the opinion of another Dr?

Filed impairment test.

It's the police officer agreed by a doctor.

Yes, but there would only be one doctor in this scenario. You'd need your own medical expert to dispute it in court.

[Deleted User]

bigjl wrote: »

You don't know much about Co Codamol do you? Other wise you wouldn't be comparing 2 30/500 Co Codamol to 3 or 4 pints of beer/lager/cider.

Are you sure you aren't confusing Co Codamol with Oromorph?

Not everybody is affected by Co Codomol 30-500, some people are completely unaffected by stronger stuff such as Tramadol (2x50mg for example). In fact most people are completely unaffected other than no longer being in pain, I would suggest that chronic pain would impact more of a drivers ability to concentrate than Co Codamol or Tramadol.

That is why there are notes in the instructions to avoid driving or operation of machinery if affected, if you are not affected then you are fine, and the effects of codeine or even Tramadol are very different to Alcohol.

Below is what is written in the user information leaflet for 30/500 Co Codamol.

"Driving and using machines
Co Codamol 30mg/500mg Capsules may cause dizziness or drowsiness and you should not drive or operate machinery if you are affected in this way. Codeine may disturb your vision"

Everybody is affected by Alcohol. Anybody that says they are no affected by Alcohol to some extent is lying to themselves.

Yes I do know about Cocodamol and if you had bothered to read my posts properly you would see that I said people get a tolerance to these painkillers eventually but new patients going onto especially 30/500 x TWO , thats 60 mg of codeine sulphate will be knocked for six, and even 30mg codeine will make everybody new to this drug unsafe to drive IMO.Tramadol in my opinion is nt quite as strong as the 30/500 cocodamol. Oromorph, or Oxynorm ( same drug ) is a step up on both those two being a "controlled drug " and has to be signed for as such when picking up any prescription. They are for moderate to severe uncontrolled breakthrough pain. 5ml of that stuff makes anyone unfit to drive for hours IMO. Maybe you re a big lump of a bloke in the 18 stone bracket bigjl and have a tolerance to them and can handle them.All Opiate users get a tolerance with use right up to the top of the tree level which is probably heroin.
Personally I think that prescription drug use and driving is on a par with cannabis users who drive but now at least the police can measure the dopeheads and prosecute. Up till a few years ago the police had to let the biggest doped up skunkheads off scot free unable to get proof. The same police will also give up on measuring someone impaired on prescription drugs because its too difficult to get meaningful measurements. I stand by my claim that a 60mg dose of codeine is as bad as 4 pints ( to non tolerant users ) and 30mg dose of codeine sulphate will affect all users who dont have a tolerance enough not to be driving and most of the time these pain killers are prescribed for short term use.

bigjl

What planet are you living on?

60mg of Codeine is not that much.

Wether the person has used it before or not.

You are just trying to justify a flawed opinion.

They give out Co Codamol/Tylex out at A&E like Smarties. For anything from backache to headaches.

And here is the run of why I think you don't know what you are talking about.

You stated that Tramadol is not as strong as Co Codamol?

Just so you are aware before Paramedics gave Morphine they gave Tramadol.

And Tramadol has been a schedule 3 Controlled Drug since the middle of 2014.

You will see this on a practical basis because when somebody gets their scrip filled out Tramadol has to be on its own prescription.

Codeine is thought of as a fairly weak opiod. Even in 2x30mg with or without Paracetamol.

bigjl

Silver-Surfer wrote: »

Your occy health can say what they like but it wouldnt carry no weight if you were to fail an impairment test and a doctor agrees you were impaired at the time and there is a presence of the drug in your system.

And why would I fail an impairment test when like the majority of the population I don't suffer from dizziness and drowsiness?

And those who do suffer from those side effects are advised not to drive or operate machinery.

It is that simple.

You are more likely to be impaired by using Night Nurse.

[Deleted User]

bigjl wrote: »

And why would I fail an impairment test when like the majority of the population I don't suffer from dizziness and drowsiness?

And those who do suffer from those side effects are advised not to drive or operate machinery.

It is that simple.

You are more likely to be impaired by using Night Nurse.

You are just trying to defend yourself because you re a cocodamol addict ! or you ve had that much over the years you re immune to them . When I was in hospital last year despite being in a lot of pain they were very sparse and stingy with cocodamol..Think I was dished out 2x 15 mgs once. You have got to remember that anyone new to these drugs are affected much worse than the experts like you. My short experience of the pain killer Tramadol was that it did nt give the complete fuzz of the stronger cocodamols doseage (60mg ) and was actually a better pain killer. I can t remember the doseage though. Unlike you I am a newbie to all these common painkillers , I m giving a truthful account of their effects on me, a 10 stone 7 lbs fairly slight person which may have a bearing on why they affected me so strongly. Any women or aged person trying cocodamol for the first time are going to feel both drowsy and disorientated and the 60 mg dose will send them to bed.