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Gliclazide and driving

J

jan1526

Newbie
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2
just returned from diabetic review, very pleased apart from nurse saying as on gliclazide must inform dvla and car insurance phoned both and told does't matter not sure what is right looked on gov.uk not very helpful any one got any info
 
Just looked at the patient leaflet for Gliclazide and it only mentions speaking to your GP if you are having frequent hypo's. Sounds like good advice.
 
jan1526 said:
just returned from diabetic review, very pleased apart from nurse saying as on gliclazide must inform dvla and car insurance phoned both and told does't matter not sure what is right looked on gov.uk not very helpful any one got any info
Click to expand...

All info https://www.gov.uk/diabetes-driving click on the tab1 link and all is explained.
 
My understanding is that you only have to tell the DVLA if you go onto insulin. Diabetes controlled by diet and/or tablets does not have to be notified. You should, however, tell your insurance company, as this might otherwise be an excuse they use to refuse a claim.
And since Gliclazide can cause hypos, you need to make sure your blood glucose level is safe before driving and also take steps to cover yourself against the accusation that you drove whilst hypoglycaemic.... so always take a BG reading before driving, and at regular intervals during any long driving session. The meter will date stamp and record the reading, and this can be used as evidence of your BG level in the event that you were involved in a road accident. The fact that you need to do blood tests for safety reasons may help persuade your doctor to prescribe testing strips... it did in my case.
Should you need to renew your driving licence or have it re-issued for any reason, its wise to declare your diabetes (tablet controlled)... then they have no comeback at a later date.
 
Late in the timeline for this. Had a long discussion with my diabetic nurse yesterday about Gliclazide and driving. I had already told the DVLA that I was diabetic when first diagnosed 13 years ago. My nurse tells me that in this "lets sue anyone we can" society people are always looking for an excuse to get out of paying in an accident. My nurse says that:

1. you need to check you BG before driving, if it is under 4, you need to eat and retest 34 minutes later. Over 4 and your fine.
2. you need to test every 2 hours while driving and follow, again, tf it is under 4, you need to eat and retest 34 minutes later. Over 4 and your fine.
3. always carry food and drink in the car with you
4. make a written record of your readings and finally
5. always have a Meter with you, as sometimes the police will ask you check your levels.

My nurse knows this is the correct info. as 2 of her patients and 3 from a different practice have been in accidents where the person that caused the accident claimed it was the fault of the diabetic, until the police proved otherwise.
 

Is that just a typo? You should be above 5 BEFORE you start your journey. This gives you a safety margin because our meters are not very accurate and because your BG's may drop whilst you're driving.
Please take a look at this.........
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/four-or-five.71595/
 
Last edited by a moderator:
5 to drive
4 and on the floor...(well that a loosely termed description!!).

Lets hope its a typo...
 
Unless you are on insulin there are no testing requirements from the dvla for a car or motorbike licence. It is good practice to make sure you are fit to drive etc but as the dvla only wants to know if you are on insulin, in the event of an accident no meter readings could be requested as evidence. Most people on oral meds aren't even given a meter by GPs these days.

Ali
 
If on insulin it is 5 to drive, between 4 to 5 correct, below 4 correct and allow 45 mins before driving due to impairment of reactions from a hypo. That is my understanding from the guidelines when I renewed my licence.

Ali
 
"You may need to do this if you take tablets that may cause hypos"

From the information that I have at home, there is no differentiation between T1 and T2 as far as 5 to drive if your meds can make you go low.

 
Actually there is an article in the GP website "pulse" or "pulsetoday" that I can't get access to... It mentions "what happens when a gp tells a driver 3times to stop driving".. With a picture of an injection...

Can't get to view the whole article though. Would be interesting to read though..
 
For safety sake (using insulin) I always make sure that I do a bg test about 20mins before attempting to drive and wont drive unless my bg is on 6mmol and also try to calculate if my pump has any IOB that would make me go lower. If there is, I eat some sweets.
 
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