Anyone capable of drinking, driving or both?

[hootie]

My son is only 12 so he had better not be drinking OR driving. He has autism and will probably never drink (if I can help it) or drive. He can paddle a kayak pretty fast and drive his bike around well enough, though. Right now he is only on Depakote.

[Katie]

I could do both until recently and will hopefully be able to do both again soon. I'm not a big drinker so I don't drink much but I did drive a lot.

[mspang]

Thanks to all who answers/answered this thread.

[Reece]

No to the drinking.

Was driving but not right now. Doctor is weaning me off 3 meds and introducing a new one at the moment. I sense that as a recipe for disaster to drive.

Would like to get back to work so I need to be under control eventually.

[jonw]

I was diagnosed with simple partial seizures about two weeks ago. I just started my second week of Topamax, now taking 2 pills at bedtime eventually working up to 4 (100 mg). Driving is generally not a problem for me. When I experience a seizure, it usually consists of an unusual smell and tingling with some dizziness. I live in wine country and work in the wine industry so you can imagine my reaction when my neurologist told me it would be best not to drink on the medication. After some " discussion ", he did say a small amount of wine would be ok, but at home. NO DRIVING! This will be a lifestyle change for me for sure. On the bright side, my wine stash will last longer...

[mspang]

bump

[Blythe]

Alcohol does not set off seizures for me. I did not dirink unless at Christmas or special occasions until afte my husband passed away. There was a brief time after the birth of 2nd son that I had wine 5 to eight months. I enjoy wine now but not hard liquor.
I think one of the problems with meds and alcohol is controling the levels of the med. If you are taking a given med to maintain a level and you are nauseous(simple partial?) your level is compromised. I do not have to maintain a sensitive level. When I switched to Tegratol and Phenobarbitol years ago, my epilepsy was in the background. Other health issues and life were in the forefront. Took my meds and wrote it on doc checkin's...

[CQ:)]

I am able to drink now but in moderation, I've never been much of a drinker so barely ever drink anyway.

Even though I was 24 when I started taking seizures again i had never worried about getting my licence. At the moment I can't drive but if I remain seizure free after next March (12 months after surgery) then I would be able to go for my learners. Although learning to drive will be an option for me soon I don't think I will get my licence. I am lucky to live somewhere which is pretty central & not far to walk to the main shops, there is good public transport & I love walking anyway lol.

I'm looking for administration work (preferably front desk reception) & I've found most admin jobs I look at don't require a licence.

[Blythe]

I do not live in a metropolitian area. No mass transit and my job requires me to drive.

[LMReggcellent]

I've never been able to have a driver's license and I started drinking when I was 22, with my doctor's permission. I am a stubborn person that thinks something like "if you keep me from driving you're not going to stop me from drinking, too". We have a joke that my husband is the designated driver, I'm the designated drinker. But I don't drink too often and I don't drink alone, I stop before I drink too much. I'm too cheap to buy a lot of alcohol for my home or from a bar or restaurant. It's never impacted my medication side effects or seizure control.

[violetopia]

I haven't driven since my dx (a year ago this week). My szs are simple & complex partials and there have been occasions when I felt certain they would make driving unsafe. I surrendered my license to make sure I wouldn't backpedal on that decision! In Arizona, you only have to have 3 months seizure free to drive, but my longest so far is 9 days.

As for drinking, I have numerous reasons not to drink and had quit entirely 18 months before my szs began. I take insulin for my diabetes, and mixing alcohol is not a great idea there. Likewise Zoloft, which I take for depression. But I had done so for many years and eventually acknowledged that I was also drinking to excess. Discovering how hard it was for me to reduce my drinking was a clue that I had developed an unhealthy dependency on alcohol, alas.

I sometimes wonder if my excessive drinking caused brain damage that led to the start of my seizures. Apparently this is medically possible but can't be proven. (I have temporal lobe epilepsy with no known cause.) ::shrugs:: The best I can do now is to take care of myself as well as possible!

All that said, if I could drink safely and in moderation, with a doctor's OK, I would. Before I lost control of it, it was one of the pleasures of my life.

[MadameJ]

Haven't hit my 6 months yet, so can't drive. Yes, even though I was told not to, I do have a glass here and there but the meds increase the sensation and I really don't enjoy it, perhaps it will even out.m