General Chat

My daugher is 22 years old and holds a full but medically restricted driving license due to epilepsy. It is now 7 years since her last fit and she is thinking of trying to come off the medication. Does anyone know what the implications are if she does this and then has another fit? Will she lose her license and for how long? Huge decision to make

Have you looked here?

http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/driving

Rose

Thanks Rose - I've sent her the link

Julia

My late friend only learned to drive in her forties after the medication she was on finally stopped any seizures for the required time. I think she still held her licence and had a car up until the time her cancer stopped her driving and she later died.

I hope your daughter is allowed to keep her licence if she stops taking the medication, she will have to tell the dvla that she is no longer medicated and also tell the insurance company. Not sure whether you can be insured if you are epileptic and not taking meds unless under medical advice. Why does she want to come off the meds? Has she discussed it with her doctors, they should be able to advise her I would think.

Good luck to her.
Lizx

If she does have another fit, she will lose her license according to something I was told early last year by someone in the UK



sylvia

When my o.h. was being investigated for some problems, he was supposed to let dvla know straight away that there was a possibility of frontal lobe epilepsy I think it was called, and stop driving. He didn't as he is a pigheaded person who thinks rules are for others and I was so worried as I knew if he had an accident his insurance would be invalid. He eventually was diagnosed as not having epilepsy but having a bleed on the brain but it was described as an episode and in dvla speak that means the same as a seizure apparently and because I did get him to let them know eventually he lost his licence for six months. He was furious but did get a bike for work and left me to do the driving. However once he could get written evidence from the specialist that he had not had an episode for a year, which was from the time before his first appointment so therefore six months not driving in his case, he got his licence back but only a short term one, he has to have further checks in I think a couple of years time and reapply for the licence. I would imagine your daughter's licence is perhaps a time limited one, or one that relies on medical check ups? Might be worth checking that out too as anything not told to the insurance company will render the insurance invalid.

Lizx