how to work out new drug driving law of 550 mcg/l of diazepam into how many mg of tablets!!!

Treatment and medication
1

Hi.

i am currently prescribed 8mg of diazepam daily and have seen that a new drug drive law (in the uk) says you will be illegally driving under the influence if you have more than 550 micrograms per litre in your bloodstream.

i have been on diazepam for 10 years and i'm on a tapering regime and my doctor is wanting to try me on beta blockers and lamotrigine in 6 weeks time when i reduce down to 7mg.

what i am wanting to know is, is the 8mg i am currently prescribed off my doctor and dvla say (at the moment) im okay to drive on actualy illeagal under the new drug driving law?

I wish i could wave a magic wand to come off these evil tablet but as you will all know it is not so easy.

any help will be great.

thanks in advance and merry xmas

2

Only if you are abusing the drug and are in an accident where your driving is impaired..it's directed at people who abuse 

taken as a therapeutic dose is not illegal 

3

..I have been involuntarily dependent on them for 44 years..never had an accident ...never felt impaired in any way ,in any situation

4

Hey 

I would really appreciate to know exactly the same thing. I have been on diazepam for 10 years and have never had a problem with it in terms of addiction or withdrawels (when I dont need it I dont take it)  I do not consider myself addicted but it is curing my agorophia and social anxiety brilliantly! smile  I am able to do things I could never do before, and I am taking less than I was before gradually..

However I do take a high dose due to tollerance and my nature (I was first given 5mgs after I couldn't sleep after an opertation and it didn't do a thing!!) I have a very anxious natural state - a cup of coffee would be very dangerous to me as I am intollerant to caffiene - I was given 'non drowsy' flu medicine by mistake and had a heart rate of 100bpm for two days. 

Im anxious (what a suprise) about it this law - I mean how the flying buzzards much is 550 micro grams? Is that 10 pills? or 15 or what? how many mgs of diazepam is over 550micrograms of blood? Simple question (for those who know - for those who don't its impossible to know!)  how are people supposed to know?My Gp carefully monitors my medications however I am on a higher dose than most folks due to natural tollerence and nature... which is why I am especially concerned. 

There is SO MUCH negative press about diazepam these days - but hardly anyone on the postitive - for many people it is a great treatment.

I wonder if a lot of this is because the patent on diazepam ran out about 3/4 years ago - which means now the drug companies make no money from selling it (less than 2p per pill) but guess how much they make on the new anti depressants (look up the side effects of those/withdrawing from those - and say they are 100% safe drive on?? NOPE) but the drug companies make a good 50p per pill on the new anti-depressants?? A co-incidence? 

I have read the entire 160 page thing including the medical panel about how they devised these new laws and I was thinking, these statistics do not make sense - they have not taken into account accidents caused by anxiety, pain, (these will go up if people can not take their medication) caffiene (teenagers on 4 cans of redbull for example can not be safe)-  but this has not been addressed - in all honesty - thinking of it all, I would rather be on the road with someone on diazepam than with someone having a panic attack? what about you?

and I would have thought, if someone is taking medication without a prescription that is taking it illegally right? That is abusing it - So that should simply be stated as illegal drugs - if they are medications you cant drive on (such as morphine) well that should be illegal to drive on - just like alchohol - no limit just a "dont drive on morphine"  "dont drive on drugs you are not presribed or did not get from a chemist" and Chemists and Drs tell you if you can drive on not on what they presribe - Simple? so why not? 

Patients are not going to know what 550micrograms in blood is!

The half life of diazepam is incredibly LONG aswell (someone else said short) It can stay in your system for over a year, if you have been taking it for 6 months!!

For a first time user it takes over a week for just 10mgs to leave your system and two months for 20mgs!! 

Thanks for any help 

Sphrah 

 

5

Iv never had an accident on them either but from what i can see if you are prescribed valium the max you will be aloud in your system if drug tested will be the 550mcg/L with a zero tolerance if you are not prescribed it. 

My doctor is going to look it up for me and let me know if i am on to high of a dosage. This new law has not been looked into properly and will be getting alot of people off the road, also my doc said from April 2015 they will have to inform dvla of all patients on any benzo meds sad

This is not looking good imo

6

Its shocking what they have passed isnt it. I can see alot of people loosing their licences and getting a criminal record very unjustified indeed.

7

It is very worrying indeed - very unfair on responsible people - people who abbuse benzos would probably need less than people prescribed them, and tolerance varies so much - I can not understand it, my abbility to drive is not effect AT ALL by what I take. 

I wish you good news when you speak to your Dr and find out if you are on high dose - if you could let me know what they say about how much is over 550 I would be very grateful

As per the contacting DVLA - that might not be a bad thing, I think if its declared and your dr says you are fine that helps - in a way if it was on record that I am prescribed these meds and are safe on them then that is great.

If they ban people from driving and taking diazepam then I honestly dont know what I will do...I cant do anything without my car and I cant socialise/do volunteering without my meds. I will try not to but Im worried that could send me into a very deep depression. I wouldnt take them just anyway as I wouldnt want the criminal record etc. So harsh on law abiding people with illness's. 

I imagine the amount of accidents will go up - people with anxiety and pain driving without their meds does not seem like a good idea to me. As for the attempting to get people back into work - how is that going to happen if anxious people cant use their meds when they most need them - ie interviews, first days etc. 

8

Yes can someone please tell me what's this about,I've been on 10mg a day,for over a 22 years,which just makes me normal'will I have to stop driving

9

I think it will be ok if it's on prescription..people are panicking ..until we know there's no point worrying..I too am on the same dose as you and csnt do without it 

10

Well thats not good news sad

Just come back from a doctors appointment and my doctor has said it is equivalent to around 3 and a half mg (3.5mg) and yes it will effect my licence after March 2015 sad

What i was just told is it depends on the size of the person and it can vary from 3mg upto 5mg and from March doctors have to inform the appropriate authorities (i take that as dvla) and if for any reson you are drugalised and come over the 550mcg/l it will be a criminal offence as is drink driving.

my doctor has now put me on beta blockers to help anxiety and heart palpitations and asked when i feel ready to drop 1 mg as to try to get my prescription down to the legal dose by March.

i now have no option as if i loose my licence i loose my job so this has a massive impact on myself as im sure it will have on houndreds more people.

well what can you say apart from what a stupid law this is they have brought in sad

11

Complete lunacy..that they will allow cannabis and extasy in small amounts in a driver when it is illegal to take them ...mobile phones kill more people...can't see it coming in in its present form ..don't worry 

12

Hi

we d0nt have t0 take th1s - lets wr1te a letter 0ur mps w1th Drs supp0rt? and each 0thers - expla1nng the ab0ve.. 

S0rry t0 hear that, f0r us all - where 1s the l0g1c! 

13

They dnt allw cannbs r exatasy at all zer0 percent - 1ts just 1f yu are n prescrptn meds they nfrm the DVLA- lunacy! 

14

From what i understand the only drug they will allow traces of is amphetamines. Cannabis is so small amount that only passive smoking would pass the test, mdma (ecstasy) is zero tolerance.

Diazepam is the highest benzo they are allowing in your system other Z's are alot lower.

well this is a no option for myself i have no option but to get down to 5mg or lower (which i expressed to my doctor i feel it would be more dangerous me driving on that small amount as i will be a lot more anxious, and my doctor agreed with me)

But hay ho thats the new law so theres nothing that can be done about it sad

#feeling_gutted

15

Cannabis 

(active ingredient Tetrahydrocannibol or THC)     2 micrograms per litre    

Cocaine                                                             10 micrograms per litre

BZE benzoylecgonine

(main breakdown product of cocaine)                50 micrograms per litre Methamphetamine                                          10 micrograms per litre  

‘Ecstasy’ (MDMA)

(illicit drug linked to ‘clubbing’)                            10 micrograms per litre

Ketamine 

(anaesthetic misused in ‘clubbing’)                     20 micrograms per litre

LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide)                           1 microgram per litre 

Heroin- 6-monoacetylmorphine 

(6-MAM - heroin and diamorphine)                       5 micrograms per litre

Amphetamine                                                        To be decided

(illicit drug also prescribed for treatment of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder) 

Prescribed drugs                                            Threshold in blood: (microgram/litre - µg/L)  

16

you Are allowed these illicit substances 

17

2mcg/L of cannabis is what they say you would have in your system if you had passive smoking (accidentally in hayling it whilst somebody else was smoking a cigarette)

My doctor has had letters from DVLA asking for all patiants on certain prescription and 550 micro grams per litre of blood is the new legal lim8t (if on a prescription) with zero if non prescribed as you cant get passive inhalation off a tablet like you can from a cigarette. .m

18

S0rry ab0ut keyb0ard

have just sp0ken t0 t0p pr1vate Dr wh0 w0rks w1th the DVLA-

th1s 1s DEF1NATELY happen1ng. 

N0 matter h0w l0ng y0u have been 0n them, 1f y0u are 0n 0ver 550mgs y0u are n0t all0wed t0 dr1ve

sad

1m s0 s0rry 1 d0nt kn0w what t0 say

h1s sugguest10n was t0 g0 0n expens1ve ant1 depressants/physch0t1cs - qu1etp1ne/0lanazap1ne 

 

19

Yes this is what my doctor told me today. It is how ever 550 mcg per liter of blood which on avrage is 3.5mg of tablet foam. There is no getting out of it as dvla has asked for all patiants on benzos and other meds on the list. I beleave you will then receive a letter to goto a dvla medical at which point if you are over the 550mcg/l (3.5mg) your licence will be revolked for a 1 yr period untill you can apply for another medical where they will advise you to drop to the (new legal) limit or be denied a licence.

Im on new meds as of today and starting to get my diazepam lowered to 4mg a day (as my doc said im a little larger than average) so i should pass on 4mg.

#bad_times

20

1 feel s0rry f0r pe0ple wth dependence, 1 can just stp tak1n 1t althugh my anxety 1s a c0ncern.

what 0ther meds has yur dr sugguested?

M1ne sa1d ant1phsychtcs -

1 d0nt have that s0rt 0f 1llness???

th1s 1s the craz1est th1ng the g0vernment has ever d0ne - apparently th1s 1s safe t0 dr1ve 0n,

1 c0py and paste s1de effects

{sens1tvty t0 l1ght!?!?}

Common quetiapine side-effects - these affect around 1 in 10 people who take this medicine What can I do if I experience this?

Feeling dizzy or light-headed when you stand up This can happen particularly when you first start taking quetiapine. Getting up more slowly until you are aware how you react should help

Feeling sleepy or drowsy, blurred vision If this happens, do not drive or use tools or machines

Indigestion, feeling or being sick Stick to simple meals - avoid rich or spicy foods

Dry mouth Try chewing sugar-free gum or sucking sugar-free sweets

Constipation Eat a well-balanced diet containing plenty of fruit, vegetables and fibre. Drink several glasses of water each day

Headache Ask your pharmacist to recommend a suitable painkiller

Feeling shaky, increased appetite and weight, unusual or uncontrollable movements, feeling restless Speak with your doctor about any of these. Your treatment may need adjusting

Increased number of infections such as coughs and colds, abnormal dreams or nightmares, swollen feet or ankles, feeling irritable If any of these become troublesome, speak with your doctor

Important: if you experience any 'flu-like' symptoms including muscle stiffness, with a high 

But d1azepam 1s nt safe t0 dr1ve 0n??? madness