are there any drivers out there who are on antidepressants
what if any restrictions on working and driving
it has been put to me that i’m depressed and could maybe benefit from a course of medication
have an appointment next week with the doc
It depends what they put you on in the first place, and how you react to them. The first couple of weeks can be really hard going as they affect your sleep patterns and your stomach.
The doc won’t prescribe anything too harsh if they know you are a driver so it shouldn’t affect you too much.
bunkslug:
it has been put to me that i’m depressed and could maybe benefit from a course of medication
Is this a professional opinion or has someone just told you that? Do you yourself think you might be depressed or do you think it might be something to do with lifestyle and stress? Only reason I’m asking that is because over the last 2 years our family has had a really rough ride and its still not over yet and I got to a point some months ago were I was constantly being ill and felt like I was at breaking point. I went to see the doctor (something that is a once in a blue moon thing for me, believe me!) to just have a chat with her about how I was feeling hoping that she would give me some good advice about things I could be doing to help myself and also to give me a good healthy eating diet to get my immune system back up to scratch. All that I got from her was her telling me that I was depressed (well no surprises there!!!..of course I would be depressed being in the situation I was in!!!) and that she was going to sign me off work and give me a course of anti-depressants to which I said a BIG FAT NO to!!! All I can say is unless you really feel you need to go on these anti-depressants, don’t do it.
Is there a reason why you are feeling this way?
I take anti-depressants along with the rest of my medication regime, and drive on them no problem at all. Just mention to your quack what you do for a living and he can prescribe accordingly. My condition is notifiable to DVLA (it’s not depression, that isn’t) so they are aware of what I take and have no problem with it.
Lucy:
My condition is notifiable to DVLA …
Not wishing to pry about your condition Lucy but do you have annual medicals as well? I’ve also got a notifiable condition and have been put on annual medicals.
Depends what my Consultant writes on the pre-med forms they send him. Didn’t have have one this year, but may in the future. Am on yearly renewal though, so officially, yes.
On this one I once worked with a driver who was on A/D,s and his doctor notified the (then) traffic commissioners and they suspended his licence for a few months so just be careful if the doctor prescribes any medication for depression.
He may be bound to notify the VOSA as well as DVLA.
Not trying to worry you more mate just letting you know what happened to a mate of mine.
It may only be certain medication that needs to be notified so you might be ok.
I suspect it depends on the severity of the depression NEJ. It’s certainly not standard procedure - if anything, enabling the sufferer to remain at work is one of the goals of successful treatment. The only time I could forsee DVLA being notified is if the depression was severe enough for the driver to be considered a risk to himself or other people.
THIS[/url] may help put your mind at rest, Bunkslug. There really is no need to suffer in silence.
I was at the quacks several months ago and now I have to take 4 tablets a day plus a nasal spray twice a day. One of my tablets is called Reductil which is an anti depressant although thats not the reason I have to take it. It hasn’t affected my driving at all
Regarding depression …the so-called anti-depressants ‘work’ immediately and will begin to settle you at once. There is a myth spread by doctors saying that they take a couple of weeks to get into your system. Believe me this is nonsense. They act immediately in roughly the same way any chemical will act immediately once you swallow it.
However, say, if a person is grieving, or if a person is very lonely or very frightened or uncertain of the future then it may take a couple of weeks before the person somehow accepts their lot. During this time I would recommend virtually any strong sedative/anti-depression but would also suggest rest away from the workplace. Yes, I am certain you can drive while using certain so-called anti-depressants but I should say it’s better to convalesce at home or with a couple of people around you rather behind the wheel of a truck.
The myth that people need to use these chemicals for months and years on end is lies designed to add longevity to sales of these drugs and subsequently increase the share dividend of the pharmaceutical companies.
Yes, the ‘biggies’ in life which propel people into depression are infidelity, bankruptcy, poverty, shame and loneliness. But as time passes the sting in the tail subsides.
As a general rule I tell people to use the following acronym in the early days when they are recovering from their despair. It is HALT and stands for:-
Hungry Angry Lonely Tired
Broadly speaking, if you get hungry you get angry and if you get angry people back off and you become lonely and very tired. But I must stress there is no substitute for rest and a sedative or anti-depression.
Hope this helps a bit.
Alot of mis-conceptions about anti-depressants. I personally think that it all depends what severity you feel your depression is at, perhaps your not depressed but just need a little bit of support to get you through this gloomy stage in your life? Sometimes the physchological effect of taking a tablet that is what makes people think that anti-depressants work immediately.
When my dad died three years ago suddenly the doctor advised me to get on the anti-depressents because of my history. i declined through my past experience and knowledge of them, i won’t go to much into it. He said that he would write me a letter to my employer to cover me for insurance purposes. Again i declined because i didn’t want to risk being taken of the road. (If you work for a large company perhaps you should try and find out if you being on anti-depressants would effect the insurance that you are covered under?)
I made sure i had my family and friends around me and at the end of the telephone to help me, i kept getting up everyday and making sure i had reason to. I made sure i didn’t keep what was getting me down quite, if i needed to talk about it i did.
Just taking a pill will make you feel a little better, and let you cope with the problem that’s causing yourself to feel this way. Like someone said to me, perhaps it’s just the way your choosing to cope and deal with the problems in your life that needs to change. sorry to go on… pills aren’t always the answer.
Big hugz to you bunkslug…
Marie
pm me if you want
All i would say is be VERY careful what you take and keep an eye on how you feel and react to other people and situations.
My doctor prescribed me with a course of amitryptiline hydrochloride for nerve damage in my leg.
He warned me they were anti-depressants but he wasnt giving me them for that reason
I wasnt depressed before but my friends and family noticed a difference in me. I was always tired and just kinda felt a little numb.
Needless to say i managed a week before stopping taking them.
I`d sooner suffer the uncomfort i have than be down in the dumps. They can make you feel worse.
I realise not everyone has the option of not taking them just take care