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To Drive or not to Drive?

Sun, 01/13/2008 - 19:00
I'm 16 and soon i'll be allowed to drive. Since I have been seizure free for about 8 months I can have my drivers liscence. The question is...should I drive? I can't really speak to any of my friends or family about this because they don't understand completely. I would really like to have someone message me about this perdicament. I suppose the real fear is that I will hurt others. I know that even when I take my medicine there is a slight possibility that I could get a seizure and I'm not sure if I really want to drive under that fear. Does anyone drive here on this website? PLease message me.

Comments

Hi!  I'm new here...but I

Submitted by musicalduck142 on Fri, 2008-01-25 - 15:17

Hi!  I'm new here...but I have had epilepsy for several years now.  I don't know what the rules are in your state, but in mine, if you have been seziure-free for at least 3 months you are allowed to drive.  I know it's scary to wonder if you will have one while driving, even if you haven't had any for a long time.  but you shouldn't let that stop you from living a normal life!  Lots of people with epilepsy drive.  I have had my liscence for 6 months now.  Though I hadn't had any seziures for over a year, I just had a few in a row this last month, which was weird, but hopefully they can adjust my meds.  Anyways, what I'm trying to say, is if you haven't had any seziures for you're state's set time, I think it's fine for you to drive.  Just pray you won't have one while driving!

God bless!  And I hope I helped! :)

~Heidi 

Hi!  I'm new here...but I have had epilepsy for several years now.  I don't know what the rules are in your state, but in mine, if you have been seziure-free for at least 3 months you are allowed to drive.  I know it's scary to wonder if you will have one while driving, even if you haven't had any for a long time.  but you shouldn't let that stop you from living a normal life!  Lots of people with epilepsy drive.  I have had my liscence for 6 months now.  Though I hadn't had any seziures for over a year, I just had a few in a row this last month, which was weird, but hopefully they can adjust my meds.  Anyways, what I'm trying to say, is if you haven't had any seziures for you're state's set time, I think it's fine for you to drive.  Just pray you won't have one while driving!

God bless!  And I hope I helped! :)

~Heidi 

Re: Hi!  I'm new here...but I

Submitted by Saint Botto on Thu, 2008-01-31 - 20:08
Hey I'm also new and I have my license and recently had a seizure not while driving... and I personally have to wait six months and can't wait... Don't let this hold your life back

Re: To Drive or not to Drive?

Submitted by nik on Thu, 2008-02-21 - 09:28
If you feel unsafe, you are well within your rights to wait for a while until you feel safer. I would NOT give the advice that if your neurologist says it's okay or if you've waited out your state's waiting period it's okay. Neurologists are working off guesswork just like you are, and your own impressions of how safe/dangerous it is to drive are probably MORE accurate than your doctor's! In making this decision, make a frank assessment of the risks. Yes, there are PLENTY of worst-case-scenarios on this site about people who seized while driving and hurt themselves and/or somebody else. That's scary as all get out, and something none of us want to go through.A t the same time, it's isn't healthy to be a prisoner to your condition if it is, indeed, under control. You need to make a frank and honest assessment of the risks involved and your level of comfort accepting those risks. If your seizures are extremely brief or if they are very infrequent (especially if they're infrequent when they're untreated), it's fairly unlikely that they'll occur while you're driving. If you have auras (which are not, themselves, incapacitating), you've got a safety net since you can expect a warning and have the chance to get to the side of the road/stop/whatever. If you don't think you've had enough time to know how frequent your seizures are now that you've been treated, then wait. No problem. You could always experiment by driving short distances in largely traffic-free, low speed, areas. (e.g. drive to the grocery store and back in the late evening or early morning) See how that works for you. That would help you determine whether driving (or the fear of driving) adds stress that lowers your seizure threshold. As unpopular as this comment may be, you shouldn't act solely on the worst case scenario. MOST people with epilepsy have NOT had any problems driving. Their seizures occurred elsewhere, were treatable, and are no longer a concern. Driving, in and of itself, is risky even without epilepsy, and almost every American takes that risk daily. Don't ignore the risk, but don't motivate yourself by fear alone. If your epilepsy is treatable, that's something to be grateful for, and you should expect to lead a happy and normal life. (And if it isn't treatable, your life may still be happy and largely normal!)

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