Epilepsy and driving licence

[Smanks]

Apologies if this should be in the health forum.

It seems the general consensus with epilepsy of any form, even with the most mild symptoms, is 12 months free from "seizures" before being allowed to drive. Following a recent CT scan, I am now currently waiting for my referral for an MRI scan, probably in the next week or so, and am now panicing that I may have to surrender my licence. Socially I can manage without it, but driving is vital for my job.

I do NOT lose consciousness and am totally aware of what is going on, and am now thoroughly regretting going to see the doc! Before I speak again with my GP and possibly the DVLA, is there any way exceptions can be made regarding the ability to retain my licence?

[TheAngryDog]

I am sorry to learn of this.

May be worth having a read of this - http://www.epilepsysociety.org.uk/driving-regulati...

While you may regret going to see your doctor about this, I and I am sure every other road user are glad you have. If you are not fit to drive then you shouldnt be driving. Sorry to be so blunt.

ETA: Good luck! (sincerely)

[Riley Blue]

My O/H suffers from epilepsy and hopes to get her licence back in November after a year without seizures. My understanding - and it is only that - is that there are numerous types of epilepsy which manifest themselves in different ways, not all of which mean that driving licence surrender is necessary. Recent changes in legislation mean that even if it is surrendered, it can be returned before twelve months.

You did the only responsible thing in seeing your doctor but the process is now out of your hands. Your employer should make reasonable allowances for your condition; that could include moving you to a non-driving job. Good luck!

[Nigel Worc's]

Smanks said:

Apologies if this should be in the health forum.

It seems the general consensus with epilepsy of any form, even with the most mild symptoms, is 12 months free from "seizures" before being allowed to drive. Following a recent CT scan, I am now currently waiting for my referral for an MRI scan, probably in the next week or so, and am now panicing that I may have to surrender my licence. Socially I can manage without it, but driving is vital for my job.

I do NOT lose consciousness and am totally aware of what is going on, and am now thoroughly regretting going to see the doc! Before I speak again with my GP and possibly the DVLA, is there any way exceptions can be made regarding the ability to retain my licence?

Wait for the diagnosis.

I had "issues" for years that nobody could put their finger on (plus I'm diabetic), and it turned out to be as simple as sleep apnoea, once they found it.

Chin up, the absolute worst thing that can happen to you is non diagnosis of anything, DVLA do not like that.

Good luck.

[Kinky]

Probably did the right thing, considering the insurance implications and complications that would have arisen should the worst have happened.

I was witness to a very nasty/severe head-on accident, which I was lucky not to have been involved in, by mere millimetres. But it transpired that the cause of the accident was a fit that one of the drivers had.

[Smanks]

Thank you. This is interesting, I might run that past my GP and see what he thinks.

[Riley Blue]

That's the procedure for getting back your licence at the end of a seizure free period. The DVLA makes the decision, based on evidence provided by your doctor, if your licence is to be revoked on medical grounds. You can't influence that.

[Smanks]

Kinky said:

But it transpired that the cause of the accident was a fit that one of the drivers had.

This is why I am frustrated, as I absolutely do not convulse or fit, it is more of an intense deja vu sensation (and possibly associated with some short term memory issues), and only experience this very first thing in the morning, and it's never occurred when driving. However I do appreciate that serious epilepsy has to start somewhere and that worst case scenario it could develop into the typical grand mal seizure.

I am stting it!

[pewe]

SWMBO had her licence pulled after a few very mild incidents.
Again there was no exact diagnosis.
IIRC her GP said it was 6 months clear of incidents before she could re-apply.

You did the correct thing by going to your GP even if it resulted in DVLA puling your licence.
Just imagine you had an episode and plowed into a mother pushing her children along the footpath in a buggy.
Would you/could you forgive yourself?

BTW after some monitoring we reckon SWMBO's was caused by alcohol intake.
Evidently there is no limit to which to work - some are triggered by over-consumption, others (SWMBO included) by only a glass of red wine.
Needless to say she's now tee-total.
One of the other triggers is stress.
BOL.
Cheers, Pewe.

PS Smanks^^ interestingly SWMBO has short-term memory problems and "a slowed brain function".
IF she re-applies for her licence I reckon she should take some driving lessons to see if those two affect her driving ability.
Mind you after a trip to the North-East last week there's a fair percentage of drivers up there who have slowed brain function!(Not having a go - just saying it as I saw it).

Edited by pewe on Sunday 18th May 15:05

[Riley Blue]

Smanks said:

Kinky said:

But it transpired that the cause of the accident was a fit that one of the drivers had.

This is why I am frustrated, as I absolutely do not convulse or fit, it is more of an intense deja vu sensation (and possibly associated with some short term memory issues), and only experience this very first thing in the morning, and it's never occurred when driving. However I do appreciate that serious epilepsy has to start somewhere and that worst case scenario it could develop into the typical grand mal seizure.

I am stting it!

That's very similar to how my O/H's seizures started. She had 'absences' - we called them 'brain farts' - every so often for a couple of years when she would become very 'vacant' though still conscious with eyes open. These never happened when she was driving but her doctor and neurology consultant were fully aware that she did drive.
Then without warning, last summer and autumn, she had a series of grand mal seizures, all during the day at work. One resulted in cracked ribs, two more in concussion. Her medication was adjusted in November and she's had no more absences or seizures since.

I realise that's not what you want to hear - sorry, but you need to be aware of how it can develop.

[Smanks]

Riley Blue said:

Smanks said:

Kinky said:

But it transpired that the cause of the accident was a fit that one of the drivers had.

This is why I am frustrated, as I absolutely do not convulse or fit, it is more of an intense deja vu sensation (and possibly associated with some short term memory issues), and only experience this very first thing in the morning, and it's never occurred when driving. However I do appreciate that serious epilepsy has to start somewhere and that worst case scenario it could develop into the typical grand mal seizure.

I am stting it!

That's very similar to how my O/H's seizures started. She had 'absences' - we called them 'brain farts' - every so often for a couple of years when she would become very 'vacant' though still conscious with eyes open. These never happened when she was driving but her doctor and neurology consultant were fully aware that she did drive.
Then without warning, last summer and autumn, she had a series of grand mal seizures, all during the day at work. One resulted in cracked ribs, two more in concussion. Her medication was adjusted in November and she's had no more absences or seizures since.

I realise that's not what you want to hear - sorry, but you need to be aware of how it can develop.

Well that is what I have now come to realise, I am fully expecting the worst as both doctors I have spoken to did not hesitate in suggesting epilepsy when I described the symptoms (which was almost impossible without sounding like an idiot!).

Nuts

[2222]

Riley Blue said:

Smanks said:

Kinky said:

But it transpired that the cause of the accident was a fit that one of the drivers had.

This is why I am frustrated, as I absolutely do not convulse or fit, it is more of an intense deja vu sensation (and possibly associated with some short term memory issues), and only experience this very first thing in the morning, and it's never occurred when driving. However I do appreciate that serious epilepsy has to start somewhere and that worst case scenario it could develop into the typical grand mal seizure.

I am stting it!

That's very similar to how my O/H's seizures started. She had 'absences' - we called them 'brain farts' - every so often for a couple of years when she would become very 'vacant' though still conscious with eyes open. These never happened when she was driving but her doctor and neurology consultant were fully aware that she did drive.
Then without warning, last summer and autumn, she had a series of grand mal seizures, all during the day at work. One resulted in cracked ribs, two more in concussion. Her medication was adjusted in November and she's had no more absences or seizures since.

I realise that's not what you want to hear - sorry, but you need to be aware of how it can develop.

I think the technical term is aura.
My wife developed epilepsy 5 years ago.
She is in a very low dosage of medication and has had no issues for 4 1/2 years now.

I'd wait for prognosis before panicking

Hope it works out well for you

[Joffery666]

Sounds quite similar to what I've got, called partial seizure of the temporal lobe, took a while to diagnose, afew neurologists, and various eeg/mri scans.

I'm still in the process of finding the correct medication/dosage to control my seizure, and I was diagnosed about 1.5 years ago!, but you could get lucky and get yourself on the correct meds straight away, it's just pot luck really...

The side effects of the first medication (tegretol carbamazepine) where really quite severe at first, now I'm on lamotrigine, but still aren't able to control them, though I'm playing around with the medication, so have my fingers crossed it'll be sooner rather then later...

With regards to your driving licence, at the time I was diagnosed, it was a case of handing my license to dvla, and waiting until I'm seizure free for 12 months until I can reapply for it, I've still not got my licence back, but I believe the law has changed where certain types of epilepsy's don't necessarily mean you'd need to wait for a year before getting it back.

There is help out there, I'm currently getting a grant called 'access to work' where I can get a taxi to and from work, and can claim back a large percentage back, so it's not all doom and gloom.

[northwest monkey]

pewe said:

BTW after some monitoring we reckon SWMBO's was caused by alcohol intake.
Evidently there is no limit to which to work - some are triggered by over-consumption, others (SWMBO included) by only a glass of red wine.
Needless to say she's now tee-total.

My OH is exactly the same but can also be triggered by (we think) tiredness. She's been like that since the age of 13 and she's 40 now. As much as she'd love to drive, she's pretty much accepted it's not something she'll ever do. We've been together since we were 16 so it's never bothered me her not driving.

She's not had a fit for 5 years now, but could have one tomorrow with no notice and for that reason we're both happy with her not driving. Tough at times, but like someone else said, if the worst happened she'd never be able to live with herself.

On the plus side, we only have to run one car!

[sjabrown]

Have a read of this:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploa...

Might shed some light on what you can expect re licence - page 8 onwards.

[Smanks]

Joffery666 said:

Sounds quite similar to what I've got, called partial seizure of the temporal lobe, took a while to diagnose, afew neurologists, and various eeg/mri scans.

I'm still in the process of finding the correct medication/dosage to control my seizure, and I was diagnosed about 1.5 years ago!, but you could get lucky and get yourself on the correct meds straight away, it's just pot luck really...

The side effects of the first medication (tegretol carbamazepine) where really quite severe at first, now I'm on lamotrigine, but still aren't able to control them, though I'm playing around with the medication, so have my fingers crossed it'll be sooner rather then later...

With regards to your driving licence, at the time I was diagnosed, it was a case of handing my license to dvla, and waiting until I'm seizure free for 12 months until I can reapply for it, I've still not got my licence back, but I believe the law has changed where certain types of epilepsy's don't necessarily mean you'd need to wait for a year before getting it back.

There is help out there, I'm currently getting a grant called 'access to work' where I can get a taxi to and from work, and can claim back a large percentage back, so it's not all doom and gloom.

Thanks, out of interest what happened after your MRI? What that the conclusive test or did they find it inconclusive and referred you for an EEG? To be honest I generally walk to work but driving is a big part of my job.

northwest monkey said:

My OH is exactly the same but can also be triggered by (we think) tiredness. She's been like that since the age of 13 and she's 40 now. As much as she'd love to drive, she's pretty much accepted it's not something she'll ever do. We've been together since we were 16 so it's never bothered me her not driving.

She's not had a fit for 5 years now, but could have one tomorrow with no notice and for that reason we're both happy with her not driving. Tough at times, but like someone else said, if the worst happened she'd never be able to live with herself.

On the plus side, we only have to run one car!

I can definitely associate this with poor sleep.

[Smanks]

sjabrown said:

Have a read of this:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploa...

Might shed some light on what you can expect re licence - page 8 onwards.

Thank you, seems I should expect 12 months then, 6 if I'm lucky.

[skeeterm5]

Joffery666 said:

With regards to your driving licence, at the time I was diagnosed, it was a case of handing my license to dvla, and waiting until I'm seizure free for 12 months until I can reapply for it, I've still not got my licence back, but I believe the law has changed where certain types of epilepsy's don't necessarily mean you'd need to wait for a year before getting it back.

In addition, the 12 month clock was 'reset' if my sisters medication changed, meant it took her nearly 3 years to get hers back while they tried to find the right drug cocktail.

S

[McWigglebum4th]

Smanks said:

it is more of an intense deja vu sensation (and possibly associated with some short term memory issues), and only experience this very first thing in the morning,

I am stting it!

no that is a perfectly normal monday morning

[Riley Blue]

skeeterm5 said:

In addition, the 12 month clock was 'reset' if my sisters medication changed, meant it took her nearly 3 years to get hers back while they tried to find the right drug cocktail.

S

That didn't happen with my O/H. It was definitely 12 months from the last seizure and she's been on three different drugs.