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Dvla/dvsa lisences

JohnLongstride said:
Unfortunately you are incorrect. Some medication such as Gliclazide can (allegedly) cause rapid drops in BG levels which can affect your ability to drive. I have no medical qualifications but the DVLA website is quite clear on the need for regular testing in some cases, especially for the holders of Commercial licences. I test every two hours - nobody wants drivers with Diabetes to be considered a risk.
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You only need to test every 2 hours if on Gliclazides.
If you are only on metformin there is no requirement to do this.
 
andi140373 said:
How do you do this for £26 per fortnight? I have got a Libre and with taco relief it’s just under £50 for a sensor which lasts 14 days. Love to hear if you’ve found a cheaper supplier
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To buy the reader is £50 or €60 but it will last for years. Your only running cost is the sensor. I have run spot tests comparing prick tests with the reader and it has never been an error. Also the reader will record once blood sugar every 15 min and when one read the sensor it downloads where you blood sugars have been since your last read. This valuable info gives you a trend which fingerpricking cannot do. If I was a british diabetic I would keep a blood pricking kit in the car, preferably with no memory and then use a Libre. If you are ever stopped you can just point towards your pricking kit and everybody is happy. You are 100 times better off using a Libre to control your blood sugars. I know hypos, I have been diabetic for 30 years. Hypos can develop in 30min. So what help is it to have to test once blood sugars every 2 hours? You can still get your hypos while if you have a libre you can take your reading every 15min while you are driving. You can see what your trend is. Says your reading is 5mmol and the trend is down. Just take a couple of energy sweets which are fast acting and you can balance sugar levels without going high or low.
 
I've had diabetes (type 2) for over 10 years & let the dvla know that I have it thankfully I still have my driving licence. At this time I am on diet control & have been so for some while.
 
lasseliten1949 said:
To buy the reader is £50 or €60 but it will last for years. Your only running cost is the sensor. I have run spot tests comparing prick tests with the reader and it has never been an error. Also the reader will record once blood sugar every 15 min and when one read the sensor it downloads where you blood sugars have been since your last read. This valuable info gives you a trend which fingerpricking cannot do. If I was a british diabetic I would keep a blood pricking kit in the car, preferably with no memory and then use a Libre. If you are ever stopped you can just point towards your pricking kit and everybody is happy. You are 100 times better off using a Libre to control your blood sugars. I know hypos, I have been diabetic for 30 years. Hypos can develop in 30min. So what help is it to have to test once blood sugars every 2 hours? You can still get your hypos while if you have a libre you can take your reading every 15min while you are driving. You can see what your trend is. Says your reading is 5mmol and the trend is down. Just take a couple of energy sweets which are fast acting and you can balance sugar levels without going high or low.
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Those 2 hr tests (before and during driving) are the conditions set for me to retain my Group 2 licence - as certified on my application and verified by my GP. There is no point in arguing with DVLA and fortunately my GP supports the need for prescriptions to cover the extra testing strips. The action to be taken in the event of hypo's is quite clear too.
 
Libre sensors are £56 each, so I think that original figure must be a typo. I haven’t found any source other than Abbot - though you can buy them for higher prices on ebay........
 
Diddion said:
Libre sensors are £56 each, so I think that original figure must be a typo. I haven’t found any source other than Abbot - though you can buy them for higher prices on ebay........
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Apparently you can buy them from Boots (if you order them) and they are £27. This is because Abbot sell them a lot cheaper to pharmacies now they are approved for use on the NHS.
 
The dvla will have sent you the exact information about what is required of you in order to retain your license. .it takes less than a minute to test and most monitors store the readings which you can then present to the consultant when you renew your license .
 
As an ex soldier there is very little I can't drive. My licence looks like a who's who of the motoring world. My doctor told me that "oficially" I am required to tell the DVLA that I have been diagnosed. However as I have just started tablets (metformin) with the intention of bringing down my blood sugar readings hopefully to a point whete I can regulate it with diet he says it would be best to "forget" (cough cough) to post the forms until my follow up medical in 6 months.
If I can't regulate my blood sugar with diet then he says to tell them. If I can do it with diet, there is no requirement to tell them.

Obviously I'm new to all of this and will learn more as I go. I'm still in the "***" period whilst learning to manage my new life style
 
TTTE said:
As an ex soldier there is very little I can't drive. My licence looks like a who's who of the motoring world. My doctor told me that "oficially" I am required to tell the DVLA that I have been diagnosed. However as I have just started tablets (metformin) with the intention of bringing down my blood sugar readings hopefully to a point whete I can regulate it with diet he says it would be best to "forget" (cough cough) to post the forms until my follow up medical in 6 months.
If I can't regulate my blood sugar with diet then he says to tell them. If I can do it with diet, there is no requirement to tell them.

Obviously I'm new to all of this and will learn more as I go. I'm still in the "***" period whilst learning to manage my new life style
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You may find this answers your questions

https://www.gov.uk/diabetes-driving
 
to the poster that suggested only using the flash reader and claiming to finger prick, that is wrong the law says what is permitted until libra is proven to be as reactive as a prick test then it wont be approved. if you were to cause a death because you trusted you knew more than the law will be with you forever and you could well end up in jail.
 
This, straight from the DVLA website at
"https://www.gov.uk/diabetes-driving"

Diabetes treated by insulin

Car or motorbike licence

You need to tell DVLA if:

· your insulin treatment lasts (or will last) over 3 months
· you had gestational diabetes (diabetes associated with pregnancy) and your insulin treatment lasts over 3 months after the birth
· you get disabling hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) - or a medical professional has told you that you’re at risk of developing it

You can also fill in form DIAB1 and send it to DVLA. The address is on the form.

Bus, coach or lorry licence

You must tell DVLA if your diabetes is treated with insulin.

Fill in form VDIAB1I and send it to DVLA. The address is on the form.
Read leaflet INS186 if you want to apply for vocational entitlement to drive larger vehicles (C1, C1E, D1, DIE, C, CE, D or DE).

Diabetes treated by tablets or non-insulin injections

Car or motorbike licence

Check with your doctor or nurse to find out if your treatment means you need to tell DVLA.
If you do need to tell DVLA, fill in form DIAB1 and send it to the address on the form.

Bus, coach or lorry licence

You must tell DVLA if your diabetes is treated by tablets or non-insulin injections. You must fill in:

· form VDIAB1SG if your diabetes is treated by sulphonylurea or glinide tablets
· form VDIAB1GEN if your diabetes is treated by any other tablets or non-insulin injections

Send the form to DVLA. The address is on the form.

Diabetes treated by diet

Car or motorbike licence
You don’t need to tell DVLA.

Bus, coach or lorry licence
You don’t need to tell DVLA.
 
Hopefully DVLA will one day recognise Libre as a way of monitoring glucose levels. Till they do we are stuck
 
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