Is it possible to change up my medication without losing my license in PA?

[Mike758]

The PA driving law is listed as follows:
Must be seizure-free for 6 months. After a seizure occurs, must wait 6 months before driving again. Exceptions are made for those with nocturnal seizures, an aura prior to their seizures, or those who have a seizure as a result of a temporary medical condition or medication change.

I have been on just Keppra for about a year now, and my current dosage is 2,500 MG a day. I had two tonic clonic seizures a little over a year ago, following a bunch of partial seizures starting a year before that. I started the medication after the second tonic clonic, and for the most part it works, and occasionally I have a partial seizure and my doctor bumps up the dose which works.

After I started about 1,500 a day, I've had pretty bad side effects like fatique and weakness. I'm also experiencing partial seizures again, which made my dosage jump up to the 2,500 and I might of had one recently.

Anyway, I considered switching my medication because of side effects and the partial seizures, or at least adding a medication. My doctor said that if I do that I would lose my driving privileges for 6 months. I'm 19 so I can do it, but it's difficult because I have to significantly reduce my work hours to comply with my parents schedule, I can't park at college, and there's a lot of stuff I can't do on my free time. Anyway, my doctor is goofy and from what I understand from that law is that there's an exception for medication change. Also, my partial seizures could be considered a warning sign. Anyone know how this works?

 

[Tez_20]

Mike,

The reason why your specialist says you may lose your driving privileges is because when your changing meds it could disturb the brain frequency to how your controlled now and sometimes swapping can cause more seizures...as I've been there myself, it's like taking a 50/50 chance when changing meds and how you'll react.

Your in one difficult position really when needing to drive.

 

[George__]

Doubt it.

I lost my license every time I changed meds or the dosage.

I'm in Canada with the 6 month rule too

 

[photoguy]

Mike,
I'm with you here (also in Pennsylvania). Although an aura is a partial, a complex partial could be an issue. I haven't driven for a year and I fully understand the hardship. The one thing you should also be aware of is the potential liability if you are involved in an accident. Counsel could subpoena your physician and medical records and you could be cited based on doing something AMA (against medical advice).

Probably not what you were hoping for, sorry. Best of luck to you!

 

[Mike758]

Mike,
I'm with you here (also in Pennsylvania). Although an aura is a partial, a complex partial could be an issue. I haven't driven for a year and I fully understand the hardship. The one thing you should also be aware of is the potential liability if you are involved in an accident. Counsel could subpoena your physician and medical records and you could be cited based on doing something AMA (against medical advice).

Probably not what you were hoping for, sorry. Best of luck to you!

Right now I am legally alowed to drive, and that's approved by my doctor. The issue in concern is if I change my meds to subside side effects. According to that law I posted it said there's an exception when changing meds. For safety I wouldn't want to drive right away, but at the same time I wouldn't want to wait six months. I would wait like 6 weeks. The good thing though is I'm far more likely to have a partial sensory seizure than a tonic clonic, Ive had about at least 100 partial seizures and 2 tonic clonic. The sad thing is I didn't know what the partial seizures were until I had the tonic clonics, so I technically probably could have been treated earlier.

 

[valeriedl]

I also live in PA and I haven't been able to drive since I've had epilepsy, 11 years now. I think the longest I've gone without a seizure is about two weeks. I don't always have semi partials before I have a complex or tonic clonic so there's now warning that a seizure is coming on.

I think the reason you would have to go another 6 months without driving is to see how your body is going to react to the new medicine you are going to be put on. In general the drs give it a few weeks, usually around 6, to find this out. Sometimes medicines don't work for you and you could start to have more seizures instead of less. Sometimes it happens right away and other times it will take longer to find out. I've had both happen with me.

I'm guessing too that if the new med wasn't working and you had to put on another, even if it was the meds that you were on before you started taking the new ones, the 6 month process would start all over again.