Opioid Medication and Driving Ability

In many European countries the use of opioids for long-term treatment of nonmalignant pain has dramatically increased during the last decade in order to improve the patient’s quality of life, to allow an active social life and the return to work. In modern society, driving is regarded as an essential activity of daily living. Since opioids are centrally acting drugs that may interfere with the ability of safely driving a motor vehicle, the question arises of whether or not and on which conditions patients under continuous opioid medication may be considered fit to drive. In this article the evidence from recent studies of opioid effects on driving ability of patients is reviewed. Based on these data, the prerequisites and restrictions for driving under chronic opioid medication are outlined and practical guidelines are proposed. The authors note that the majority of published studies demonstrated no significant psychomotor or cognitive impairment of patients under stable, long-term opioid therapy for nonmalignant pain.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/10903801
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Kress, Hans G
  • Kraft, Birgit
• Publication Date: 2005

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References;
• Pagination: pp 141-144
• Serial:
  • European Journal of Pain
  • Volume: 9
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 1090-3801
  • EISSN: 1532-2149
  • Serial URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1532-2149

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobile driving; Diseases and medical conditions; Drug effects; Medication; Narcotics; Physiological aspects; Psychotropic agents; Quality of life
• Uncontrolled Terms: Opioids; Psychomotor function
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01042672
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 10 2007 9:40AM