Lots of people have allergies that cause them to take medications regularly. They might have a food allergy, allergic reaction to the grass outside or an allergy to a pet that someone brought by at work, but in most cases, allergy medications help clear up symptoms before they become problematic.
Allergy medications, unfortunately, can cause side effects that make it more difficult to drive safely. In some cases, they can make you drowsy or dizzy, leading to the potential for errors that could cause a car crash. Depending on the kind of medication that was used, it’s also possible that they could cause a racing heart or anxiety that would make it dangerous to drive.
Antihistamines have some significant side effects
Antihistamines can have all kinds of side effects, many of which can impact how you drive. Some of them include:
- Rapid heart rate
- Dry mouth or dry eyes
- Headache
- Blurry vision
- Low blood pressure
- Drowsiness
These and other side effects could make you feel bad enough that you can’t focus on driving, increasing the risk of getting into a serious collision.
Emergency medications can be problematic, too
In severe cases of allergies, people may take epinephrine, which comes in the commonly used EpiPen. Epinephrine occurs naturally in the human body, but the large burst of it delivered by the emergency medication can cause many unwanted and potentially dangerous side effects.
While it is absolutely necessary when an allergy is life-threatening, the medication could cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sweating and a racing, irregular or pounding heartbeat. If you take epinephrine, you should not be behind the wheel of your vehicle. You should call 911 and get emergency care as soon as possible to prevent complications.
Your medications could make it too dangerous to be behind the wheel
Remember that your medications could make it dangerous for you to drive. It’s better to be safe and call for a ride, or, in an emergency, call for an ambulance. Trying to drive yourself when you’re ill or impaired could lead to a serious crash that could harm or kill you or others.