Driving and Work Drowsiness

Driving or work and over-the-counter allergy or cold and flu medications can be a disastrous mix. The most common side effect of over-the-counter cold and flu medicine is drowsiness which lowers alertness and reaction time. Ten to twenty-five percent of people taking the medications report daytime drowsiness. Taking medications and driving or using machinery or sharp tools can be dangerous. Not only does your risk of injury increase if you are drowsy, but your productivity is likely to be poor as well.

If you must take medication, a few precautionary steps are advised:

· Let your supervisor know. It may be possible to change your work assignments or temporarily arrange less-hazardous work. You probably should not do tasks that require the use of a respirator or highly demanding physical tasks. Another reason for speaking to your supervisor is to acknowledge that your performance may not be quite up to par for a few days. Also, should you be injured your supervisor and emergency responders will need to know what medications you are taking if you are unable to recall.

· Do not mix medications. Remember those pills, capsules or tonics are chemicals. They may be incompatible when mixed, causing more harm than good. Do not try new remedies during work hours. If you feel like experimenting with something new or different, do it over the weekend. Everyone reacts differently to cold and flu medication. Find the one that works best and stay with it.

· Wash your hands often. We give this advice to kids, but everyone should follow it, especially during flu and cold season. More cold viruses are transmitted from hand to hand, from doorknob to hand or from hand to mouth than in any other way.

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