Some of the most common OTC medicines that can cause drowsiness or impaired driving include antihistamines, antidiarrheals and anti-emetics.
Antihistamines are used to treat symptoms like runny nose and sneezing, while anti-emetics are indicated to treat nausea, vomiting and dizziness related to motion sickness.
The FDA suggests that one should read all the sections of the Drug Facts label before using any OTC medicine.
Especially when someone has to drive, it’s particularly important to read the ‘active ingredients’ section of the label and compare it to any other medications they may be taking, to make sure they are not taking more than one medicine with the same active ingredient.
FDA medical officer Dr Ali Mohamadi said that people can feel the effects some OTC medicines can have on their driving for a short time after you take them, or their effects can last for several hours. In some cases, a medicine can cause significant ‘hangover-like’ effects and affect their driving even the next day.
"If you have not had enough sleep, taking medicine with a side effect that causes drowsiness can add to the sleepiness and fatigue you may already feel. Being drowsy behind the wheel is dangerous; it can impair your driving skills," Mohamadi said.