Free My Brain From Migraine Pain

Migraines & Driving & Driving Migraineurs Crazy

September 30th, 2009

I may have mentioned that lately I have been writing articles for Health Central’s My Migraine Connection on legal topics related to Migraine, as well as answering some of the questions that readers ask on the site. A reader came on recently and reported that her driving privileges had come under supervision by her state’s Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) because she had self-reported that she had frequent Migraines. The MVC was considering whether to suspend her license. She was asking what to do. This sounded like a nightmare to me; I was really distressed for her, so I did some research. In the first place I discovered, not too surprisingly, that her state’s MVC had broad powers to supervise, suspend, retest or otherwise question the driving of anyone they suspected might have any kind of medical condition that could make them an unsafe driver. Researching further, I learned that just about every state has given similar powers to its MVC.

My suggestion was that she get a statement from her doctor that she knows the signs of a Migraine and does not drive when she has one, and that she consult an attorney. She came back later and reported that her MVC had taken her medical documentation, made her retake the road test, but that they had not suspended or restricted her license.

I did some more research and wrote two articles based on it, one called Migraines and Driving Don’t Mix - reviewing cases which have found people driving under the influence of pain killers (legally prescribed for Migraines) to be DUI, and other cases which found people driving with a Migraine (not with medications) were not DUI. I did stress that Migraines themselves impair us - they slow our reflexes and reaction time, interfere with cognitive function, aura obscures our vision, the pain and nausea distract us. I even went so far as to say I wouldn’t be surprised to see a case somewhere in the future where someone had a Migraine, caused an accident, hurt someone, and was held liable or criminally responsible.

In the second article, called Migraines and Our Drivers License, I reviewed the Motor Vehicle laws which set up medical review of driving privileges, trying to make people aware that we could have our licenses reviewed or suspended if Migraines impact our driving and the MVC finds out about it!

It’s been an interesting few weeks for me on the inter-tubes - I did not make myself very popular with some Migraineurs over all this! One group of readers thought I was being condescending. On one site someone ranted about how if cell-phone talking, lane-changing speeding morons should be allowed to drive, why should Migraineurs be singled out? I was called “militant” and I’m not some people’s favorite person. Several people asked me to tell them how they are supposed to get to work, function, etc…

I think I learned a lesson about my writing style, and I’m going to do my best to be more chatty and down to earth when I’m delivering hard news. I think that’s what this was - a case of kill the messenger. I’m not the Migraines & driving police (or the anything police, for that matter). We’re all going to have to use our own judgment. I just thought it was important for people to know 1) that Migraines impair us, sometimes even when we don’t feel like they do; 2) that people have been convicted of DUI even taking legally prescribed medications; and 3) that right or wrong, our condition is being scrutinized by Motor Vehicle Commissions.

Last night I dropped my son at his music lesson and went to the supermarket. Near the end of my time in the market I was very hungry and jittery, and I started to get sensitive to light, an early warning sign for me of a Migraine coming. My son was across a divided highway from me, needing to be picked up, and I had a week’s worth of groceries in a cart. So I had choices to make. I could have called my husband, and he could have come and got our son, me and the groceries. I decided to eat something and see if raising my blood sugar would hold the Migraine off. So I went through the checkout line and sat in the car eating for a while. I felt less jittery and better right away, and I made the judgment call that the Migraine was not going to hit full force in the 15 minutes it would take to get home. I picked up my son, drove home, and all was well.

Was that the right thing to do? Was I putting convenience ahead of safety? Was I being a hypocrite in light of the articles I just wrote and the position I’ve been taking? We have to make judgment calls every day with this disease. If my head had been hurting, if I was getting dizzy or confused, I would not have driven. I have called for rides, or pulled over to the side of the road in those situations before. I always try to err on the side of caution. Several people have left comments since I wrote the articles, about family members who were badly hurt driving with a Migraine.

All I’m asking is that we take this seriously, that we plan ahead, have a back-up plan, and take ourselves off the roads before we endanger ourselves and others. And I know it’s not fair, that there are lots of morons on the road who shouldn’t be driving, and all of that. It’s a very uncomfortable subject - it challenges our independence. I know. Sorry. I’m not trying to drive you crazy. Please don’t kill the messenger!

- Megan

Rearview mirror image courtesy of Dean Shareski; Steering wheel image courtesy of Tomas Fano.

Tags: driving, DUI, migraine, Migraine medication
Posted in Communicating, Current Affairs, Managing, Travel | Comments (17)

17 Responses to “Migraines & Driving & Driving Migraineurs Crazy”

Laura Says:
September 30th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
I think b/c you have the privelege of working from home (re: not having to commute M-F to work) that it is easier for you to come to these conclusions and you are in a financial position also, to do this. Having your own business is something that not all of us can do.
admin Says:
September 30th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Laura, I work from home part of the time, I also have a part-time job I commute to (which I’m not in a financial position to give up) and I have had to get rides to it or home from it when I’ve had a Migraine. One of the readers of the Health Central articles shared that he moved to an apartment near his job just so he wouldn’t have to drive to work with Migraines. Some people use church groups to give them rides, or carpool or do all kinds of creative things to get to their jobs.

None of the conclusions I came to have anything to do with what work I do, or what financial position I’m in. (Which, by the way, you are making assumptions about.)

We are often impaired by Migraines. This is a demonstrable fact. The laws say what the laws say. I was just trying to make people aware. Saying I can only say that because I have this or that privilege or some other conclusion you’re drawing about me and my life makes no sense. I say it because it is fact, it is law, and I think we should know about it. I don’t like it either. It’s not convenient for me either. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t let people know about it!

- Megan
Emily Says:
September 30th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Having had to pull off the side of the road more than once over the years because the pain prevented me from driving and the projectile vomiting sorta interfered with anyone/anything in the interior of the car, I think most migraine sufferers know when they are safe and when they are not. I generally got caught trying to get to a “safe” place to have a migraine when I didn’t judge how far along it was correctly. I never took medication and then drove.
admin Says:
September 30th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Yes Emily, I think most of us know when we shouldn’t be driving! As a few commenters on the articles said, sometimes we can hardly even walk, let alone drive.
Leeloo Says:
October 1st, 2009 at 1:44 pm
I work about 8 miles from my house. If I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT drive, I make sure I get a ride. If I am impaired by medications that I took at work, my husband comes to get me. If the migraine is that bad, I call in. And believe you me, I can’t afford to call in whatsoever. But better to lose a days’ pay than be a menace on the road, distracted by pain (how can one drive under such pain anyway…I realize pain is different for everyone, but come on), and freaking out about how I’m going to make it through the day.

This isn’t about “letting” people talk on cell phones, or eat, or have a migraine while driving, it’s about MAKING THE RESPONSIBLE DECISION to keep others safe. In my state, phone talking on the highway is a no-no, and texting while driving is also against the law.

Migraines have a bad way of taking away our freedoms, and I know that driving is one of the last freedoms that any human being has left to them (just ask the elderly). That doesn’t mean our pride or right to drive should come before anyone else’s life, or our own. I’ve done some stupid, scary things while driving with a migraine, luckily it’s just been with myself.

It is not impossible to find help from a charitable organization or a neighbor should you need it. I often find that offering gas money to someone will solve my problem then and there.
admin Says:
October 1st, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Thanks Leeloo! I think you’re right that it’s a very uncomfortable topic because it does take away another piece of our freedom - but it’s something we have to face and deal with.
Nicole Says:
October 1st, 2009 at 8:44 pm
I ride with someone everyday to work. I just never know when my aura is going to hit and my vision is totally blinding. My abortive also makes me really sleepy not that I cant function, but I just dont feel like it is safe enough to drive. I would not be able to live with myself if something happened to someone in an accident that I could have prevented. I am glad you wrote this article Megan to make everyone just a little more aware of the dangers they put themselves in and other people in when they get in car while medicated or when they have a migraine.

Nicole
MigrainePuppet Says:
October 2nd, 2009 at 7:49 am
Thank you for bringing this important information to our attention. I know how much Migraines affect my work and will slow down my workday, but I never really stopped to think about how it affected my driving and how it slowed my reflexes and other things.

I know a message like this is not easy to hear, but we definitely need to know it. I don’t want to hear it anymore than anyone else does and I’m sure you don’t even want to hear it yourself, but it is another difficult part of this disease we must all come to terms with. More growing pains as I call it.

I bring in the only income for my family where I have two kids in college and I have to go into the office everyday, but it would cost a lot more, even emotionally, if something were to happen while driving while Migraining. Your article has given me a lot more to think about. I admit that I have driven slower while impaired with a Migraine, but I never really thought about the full implications and have changed the way I go about driving when needed.

Thanks again for providing us with your findings and sharing them with us.
admin Says:
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:34 am
Thanks Puppet & Nicole - I have to admit there have been times when I wished I had never investigated this. But any of us could find ourselves in the place of the woman who started me looking into it - having our license questioned. We Migraineurs have some very tough choices to make every day.
Teri Robert Says:
October 2nd, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Laura,

For too many of us, working from home isn’t a choice — it’s the only way we can manage to work at all because of Migraine and or other debilitating conditions. While it does allow some of us to keep working, working from home isn’t necessarily as appealing as you might think. It can be extremely isolating and lonely.

As for “financial position” and having one’s own business, that’s not all it’s cracked up to be either. When you work for someone else, they pay half your Social Security taxes and part of your income taxes. When you work for yourself, you have to pay it all yourself. I work as a contractor from home, and I have to pay about 42% of everything I make in taxes. By the time that’s done, there’s not all that much left.

Please, before you say such insulting things, stop and think.
Nancy Bonk Says:
October 2nd, 2009 at 7:10 pm
This certainly seems to be a hot topic. It is kind of amazing to me that everyone is really so worked up. The quote “don’t shoot the messenger” seems to apply here. We all know during a Migraine attack our reflexes, vision, hearing, and judgement may be impaired. So where is the beef?

Drive or don’t drive with a Migraine. Megan gave you the information. Your life is your life, but why harm others is the point, don’t you think?

Don’t talk to me about cell phones, putting on make-up, and all the other illegal things we do when we drive. We are talking about driving when we have a Migraine. Only you know if you should or shouldn’t.
MaxJerz Says:
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:06 pm
When my current bad cycle of Migraines/constant head pain was at its worst, I voluntarily took myself out of the driver’s seat for over a year. My head pain was always in the moderate to severe range, along with a full range of other Migraine symptoms. There was no way I was safe on the road with all of that distraction.

It was not an easy choice to make. I still had to work a full-time job and get to as many as 3-4 doctors’ appointments per week. I’m fortunate that my DF was able to drive me many places, or I would take the bus or walk. DF and I moved to an apartment a few blocks from our office so I could easily get home in case I was too sick to stay at work.

My pain has since improved to the point where I feel safer on the road than I did before. However, I sold my car earlier this year (mostly because I wasn’t well enough to drive it and justify us having two cars). I take the bus or walk almost everywhere, or catch a ride with a friend or DF. It is not easy or convenient, but it is much safer for me and the other drivers on the road.

Driving is not a right, it’s a privilege, and with that privilege comes responsibility. I hate that I’ve had to give up the freedom of driving because of my Migraines (especially because I’m only 26!), but I wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt of causing an accident due to my Migraine impairment.

Megs, thank you for sticking your neck out on this and providing us with information we all need to know. While we may not want to hear the news you’re bringing us, I’m glad that you have.

Be well,
MJ
Anna Says:
October 4th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Driving Restrictions.
When my migraines began I also started experiencing trouble seeing at night - bright lights (typically from oncoming cars, sometimes from construction lights) wash out my field of vision so I can’t see - I can’t see the lines on the road, I can’t always see cars close to me, next to me, intersections with bright lights can be near impossible. I stopped driving at night. Not easy when you’re living in a sprawling city with poor public transportation, but I wasn’t safe in the drivers seat and I wasn’t willing to put anyone else on the road at risk.
I now live in a small town, less traffic, easier to find dark roads without oncoming traffic, and I’ve also found that my night vision isn’t as severely compromised as it was 5 years ago, but I still don’t drive at night - because the bright lights can be a trigger, so I don’t put myself in the situation. My husband drives when it’s dark outside.
If I’m at work and get a migraine that forces me to go home I evaluate - I bike home if I can, or accept a ride from a coworker; the bus is usually too overwhelming at that point.
There are so many points where I fight myself, where I fight what I can and can’t do - pushing my limits, refusing to accept my illness, but driving I put into the category of ’safety of others.’ I don’t want to put someone else at risk because of my stubbornness. On my bicycle I might put myself at a greater risk, but the risk I pose to others is very minimal (and I live in a town with nice wide bike lanes so it’s actually very safe to bike home even if I have a migraine).
I do wonder what this will mean when we have kids, how that will impact driving… but we’ll figure it out at that point.

I’m sorry you met such resistance. It’s important for people to be aware. I really like your suggestion of a Drs note stating she knows the triggers and won’t drive in that situation. I think that’s the biggest part, people learning to be aware of their body and their reactions to things.
Ellen S Says:
October 12th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Megs,

I’m so sorry you’re under such pressure - I guess I don’t really understand why. I’ve seen this topic come up many times before on various boards etc, so not sure why people seem to be taking collective offense right now? I guess it’s a scary topic, isn’t it…

I worked for local law enforcement for quite a while. I was the dispatcher at the other end of the line when disaster struck. I was the friendly ear when frustrated police officers and emergency personnel needed to vent. I’ve also been the angry friend/family member at the funeral when someone has been killed because the driver thought he/she wasn’t impaired too badly, but was wrong. I’m also the daughter of a retired trooper with so many terrible stories it makes my head spin on my shoulders. We’ve all seen people under the influence of “something” (even sleep deprivation) where they thought they were fine and obviously weren’t. Accidents are accidents because we didn’t plan them. Sadly they too often happen because we also didn’t plan NOT to have them.

A saying at our house is: “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” We always consider this before getting behind the wheel. No place I need to be is worth someone’s life.

Thankfully we’ve planned for times when I can’t drive, and use those plans often. Don’t others have similar plans? Needed trips are purposely made less frequently (part of the plan), and frequent docs visits are usually scheduled around and attended by a friend or family member who can drive if necessary. I plan my medication schedule around those trips (and vice versa), so that I am driving when the medication is at its lowest point. Still, when in doubt, I don’t drive, and I’m blessed by a family who does drive and has understanding employers and flexible jobs. Not everyone is like that, but wouldn’t it be fabulous if they were!

Perhaps if we made employers more aware of this hidden aspect of Migraine disability, they would become more flexible for Migraineurs and their families? There surely are a bunch of us out there…
admin Says:
October 13th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Great points, Ellen. It’s interesting to here from the law enforcement side. What the law must try to do here is to keep us all safe.

Educating employers might be one way to help. Community vans to transport people who can’t transport themselves, including Migrainuers, might be another idea.

We’ve got a long way to go!
Refusing to Accept Migraines » Roseann Smith Says:
February 28th, 2011 at 4:37 pm
[...] Free My Brain From … fight myself, where I fight what I can and can’t do – pushing my limits, refusing to accept … Learn to Manage your Life with Migraine: The Six Keys to Manage Your Migraines and … [...]
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Migraines & Driving & Driving Migraineurs Crazy

17 Responses to “Migraines & Driving & Driving Migraineurs Crazy”

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