Was wondering if anyone has any experience of this or knows someone who has.
Basically not been sleeping recently, to a point now where I’m seeing a doctor later in the week.
Let’s say they diagnose me with a sleeping disorder and give me prescription sleeping pills, will I have to notify DVLA of this? And is there any chance of them suspending my licence for this?
Whether they will or won’t wouldnt stop me from informing them if I’m supposed to by the way. Just after seeing what the likelihood is so I know if I need to prepare myself for the possibility of being out of work.
Not sure of the dvla technical answer, but bear in mind such pills are only a temporary answer to the problem. Doctors have a habit of handing out pills like confetti, people can get addicted and start on a path they cannot return from. I don’t know, or need to know, the reason for your consult with the doctor, but the main thing is to identify and deal with the root cause. There are numerous over the counter remedies that can help you sleep without the addictive element in the interim. If pills are the only answer, then clearly take them but I would pose the same question with the doctor handing them out, and act on his advise on whether to notify or not based on the dose/ treatment duration. He may also reconsider alternative treatments. Hope you solve the problem.
rsg1234567:
Not sure of the dvla technical answer, but bear in mind such pills are only a temporary answer to the problem. Doctors have a habit of handing out pills like confetti, people can get addicted and start on a path they cannot return from. I don’t know, or need to know, the reason for your consult with the doctor, but the main thing is to identify and deal with the root cause. There are numerous over the counter remedies that can help you sleep without the addictive element in the interim. If pills are the only answer, then clearly take them but I would pose the same question with the doctor handing them out, and act on his advise on whether to notify or not based on the dose/ treatment duration. He may also reconsider alternative treatments. Hope you solve the problem.
Shouldn’t you be rammed up on speed begging NMW to take you on flatbed american dream ?
And yeah I thought as it’s been ongoing for a while it would be better to see a doctor “ffs” and try and get it sorted rather than just keep denying there’s an issue and end up falling asleep at the wheel and killing someone.
I have an excellent job already and one which I’m very proud of. It appears you seem angry all the time and that can have a much worse effect on your health that eating processed food, which you correctly pointed out in another post, perhaps you should consider consider a career change too.
To OP
Hope you get it sorted and without a potentially unnecessary need to lose your job
I have an excellent job already and one which I’m very proud of. It appears you seem angry all the time and that can have a much worse effect on your health that eating processed food, which you correctly pointed out in another post, perhaps you should consider consider a career change too.
To OP
Hope you get it sorted and without a potentially unnecessary need to lose your job
id think hard,has anything been bothering you / i know 1st hand it can unsettle your mind ,even for years . an off the cuff remark "youre useless " if that comes when youre at a crossroads in life can really worry me .Especially if youre a thinker / the trouble is once you start waking up at might it can become the norm. your body half expects it . i found a way out of it was to take several naps soon as i got home ,these added up .suddenly i was ok again thru the night
Rowley010:
Was wondering if anyone has any experience of this or knows someone who has.
Basically not been sleeping recently, to a point now where I’m seeing a doctor later in the week.
Let’s say they diagnose me with a sleeping disorder and give me prescription sleeping pills, will I have to notify DVLA of this? And is there any chance of them suspending my licence for this?
Whether they will or won’t wouldnt stop me from informing them if I’m supposed to by the way. Just after seeing what the likelihood is so I know if I need to prepare myself for the possibility of being out of work.
Thanks
My neighbour is a worrier…and suffered really badly from sleeplessness.
Here’s what worked for him.
When you wake up, get up.
Go and sit in a hard, uncomfortable chair without getting dressed. Don’t read, listen to the radio, or allow yourself any other pleasure or distraction. Just stare at the wall in the dark. Stay there until you feel really miserable. Now go back to bed.
Short-term benefit: your bed so seems like the best place to be…warm and comfortable. You go back to sleep.
Long-term benefit: you train your body and mind not to be stupid and wake up in the middle of the night.
To try and answer the original post, yes I have been on prescription sleeping pills (Zopliclone) on a number of occasions to help with the effects of an ongoing medical condition.
As I don’t want to get addicted to them I tend to stay away when possible and am now on another common treatment called Amitriptyline. This has a mild sedative effect and relaxes the muscles. You need to take it about 3 hours before going to bed. It won’t help you get off to sleep but is supposed to help you stay asleep once there. They are non addictive (apparently?) and I’m told you can take up to 50mg per 24hr, so that’s what I’m on.
If your sleep problems stem from pain and discomfort and it’s thought it neuropathic pain, such as experienced with Fibromyalgia for example then you might be prescribed a drug called Gabapentin. It’s a ■■■■■■■ evil drug and needs to be avoided if at all possible, it helped me sleep alright but turned me into a complete brain dead zombie in the process. I eventually came off it when I realised what it was doing to me, which took a while as I wasn’t aware of much at the time.
It has recently been upgraded to controlled drug status and no way can you drive when on it. I would imagine it’s now notifiable to the DVLA.
Both my GP or consultant suggested there was no need to inform the DVLA for the zopiclone or Amitriptyline, but told not to drive with the gabapentin, this becomes quickly obvious when you don’t even know what a car is anymore.
I don’t know your problems with sleep, be it the getting to sleep or maintaining sleep but my experience is that the normal sleeping pills tend to wear off within a few hours, so they can be great helping you to get off, but not much use helping to maintain the sleep with any quality, for that you need the longer lasting sedative type drugs depending on your circumstances.
I think it may be a different game altogether if you’re diagnosed with sleep apnoea and require different treatment for it, but that’s for your doctor to discuss with you.
nhs.uk/conditions/insomnia/#
I was just looking at the NHS website, maybe it’s worth trying to see if making lifestyle changes help before you go to the GP. Everything you tell your GP, he writes it down and the dvla can view all this. I know because I had heart palpitations and it turned out my heart is good but I was drinking too much coffee, I stopped drinking coffee and the problem stopped, but now the dvla are only giving me a license for a year, then I have to reapply, I’ve been driving under section 88 for the last 6months,cant change jobs because Yes, there’s a time to see your GP, but sometimes, it’s better to deal with your own problems, unless you are happy to spend half the time driving under section88
Yeah I’ve tried some of that stuff on the NHS website. I know I was drinking too much coffee, cut down by about 90% and that’s made as near as zero difference.
To answer another point, it’s actually getting to sleep where the trouble is. Once I’m asleep I’m good then, I dont keep waking up. This weekend I had been up 36 hours and was trying to sleep, yet was wide awake and felt more hard work to keep my eyes shut than for them to be open. Didn’t feel tired at all but had to be up for something in the morning. Eventually managed 4 hours sleep before my alarm got me up to go where I was going. So by the time I went to bed Sunday night, 4 hours sleep was all I’d had in nearly 60 hours. It’s not everyday like that but when it is like that it’s ■■■■. So maybe if the doc gave me a mild sleeping pill I wouldn’t have to notify DVLA of that?
See your Dr and when you explain your sleep problem, make your concerns about driving with medicaments clear.
They should be able to sort out different strategies and if necessary drugs to suit You. Worrying about your job won’t be helping you relax, so make an appointment and don’t worry.
(Anyway drugs are expensive, so they’ll start with Horlicks and digestive biccies)
Mmm, you say you ve been up for 36 hours, was this through choice? If not, maybe you need to make sleep more of a priority, and try and simplify your life more if possible, I remember I stayed up two days, I had great trouble sleeping then because my brain kept telling me to wake up because it thought it needs to stay awake, if that makes sense. Do you ever work out in the gym?
Nothing like a heavy workout to make you tired and relaxed afterwards. Just some ideas, I’m only a trucker, I don’t have any medical knowledge, by the way, I never told the dvla directly about the heart palps, but they found out from looking through the med records
Sploom:
Mmm, you say you ve been up for 36 hours, was this through choice? If not, maybe you need to make sleep more of a priority, and try and simplify your life more if possible, I remember I stayed up two days, I had great trouble sleeping then because my brain kept telling me to wake up because it thought it needs to stay awake, if that makes sense. Do you ever work out in the gym?
Nothing like a heavy workout to make you tired and relaxed afterwards. Just some ideas, I’m only a trucker, I don’t have any medical knowledge, by the way, I never told the dvla directly about the heart palps, but they found out from looking through the med records
Is the worst thing that’s come from that you have to a medical every year? Did you ever actually have your licence suspended for it?
Yes, that’s the worse that has happened, still annoying though because my manager wants to check my license every so often, and we to ring the dvla and then I give them permission to explain to him that I’m driving under section 88, it’s a big palaver. What happens if I want to change jobs, I don’t think you can get a job under a section 88.
Pro Drivers need to AVOID “Sleeping Pills” like the plague!
…Sleep Disorders are a fasttrack way to have your licence revoked - make no mistake!
Use “Willpower” to overcome such issues. Works even better than “Energy Drinks” as well, btw.
That is, LESS reliance on the “uppers and downers” of Caffein and Sugary drinks, and MORE reliance on sleeping the proper amounts, and the correct times.
Build your home life around your shifts you know in advance - rather than try and burn the candle at both ends, in particular risk of being done at the weekends for many of us.
Are you READY for the “sleepy surge” that comes as the last coffee/monster/lucozade you had “finally wears off” otherwise?
I prefer less reliance on the stimulants, and more reliance upon a good sleep.
It also happened to me…went to the doctors, told her i couldnt sleep yet somehow dvla got told its sleep apnoea ( spelling ) dvla kindly revoked my licence, until they could do further checks…now i am careful as to what i go to the doctor for, your records are used for the HGV medical forms…be careful…if its dangerous…then of course you have a duty to report to your doctor, and they in turn will inform dvla…if they know your an hgv driver.
There are many Herbal sleep aids that could help you, they work by helping you to relax and work better than some of the pills the doc can prescribe, also cheaper than a prescription. Just search on Amazon for “Herbal Sleep Aid”,… I have used Nytol and they do work.
Edit: I have also seen drivers drinking energy drinks and taking pro-plus then wonder why they cannot sleep!
