Booklet alerts seniors about medications and traffic – 06/13/2023 – Health

Elderly people who use antidepressants, anxiolytics, sedatives, antiallergics, medications that reduce glucose, opioid analgesics and muscle relaxants should redouble their attention when driving. These medications compromise concentration, motor coordination, reflexes and the ability to drive, increasing the risk of traffic accidents.

The alert is one of the chapters of the booklet “Have a Safe Driving! Handbook for the Elderly Driver”, aimed at the population aged 60 or over and their families, prepared by the discipline of geriatrics and gerontology at the Escola Paulista de Medicina (Unifesp), by Abramet (Brazilian Association of Traffic Medicine) and by the SBGG (Brazilian Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology).

“The elderly begin to have chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, neurological diseases and, therefore, take a lot of medication. The medicine for diabetes, because it lowers the sugar too much, can make him lose consciousness while driving. The most old people also have insomnia and this type of medication interferes with vehicle driving. Chronic pain, sometimes, does not go away with common analgesics and there is a need to use stronger ones”, explains Abramet’s scientific director, Flavio Adura.

“Sedatives, anticonvulsants, antidepressants and tranquilizers, in general, are problematic for the elderly person behind the wheel. They can cause drowsiness, inattention, dizziness, malaise, sweating, palpitations and other symptoms of hypoglycemia”, advises physician Fânia Cristina dos Santos, doctor in geriatrics and gerontology at Unifesp and member of the SBGG Pain Commission and the Pain Committee for the Elderly of the Brazilian Society for the Study of Pain.

“If he feels one of the symptoms even taking the medication prescribed by the doctor, he needs to inform the professional and avoid the direction”, he says.

The expert also draws attention to the danger of the indiscriminate use of over-the-counter remedies, such as anti-allergic drugs and muscle relaxants.

“The elderly need to talk to the doctor about the medications they use and interference with driving. I have many patients who shouldn’t be driving, but insist. For them, driving is a matter of empowerment”, says the doctor.

The booklet, launched in May, brings together aspects that must be observed when behind the wheel there is a driver aged 60 or over.

In addition to the use of medication, the material addresses alcohol consumption, care for sleep and food, health care, tips for vehicle maintenance, pedestrian traffic with age and safe driving. Among the recommendations are: avoid driving at night, at peak times and in bad weather; stay close to where you live; avoid long distances; always drive with an acquaintance; rest after an hour and a half driving; get eye and hearing exams more often.

The status of strength and vitality is also a point highly valued by geriatricians when it comes to driving a car. According to Fânia Cristina dos Santos, currently, to release the driver’s license to the elderly, there is the inclusion of the palmar pressure force meter in the evaluations.

Pain and safe driving

“How are your joints and muscles?” is one of the issues addressed in the manual. “Despite sitting down, we move a lot behind the wheel. Feeling pain or difficulty moving joints and body parts interferes with driving. This pain can be osteoarticular or neuromuscular changes, such as osteoarthritis, disc hernias and torticollis”, explains the geriatrician .

Mobility is one of the requirements for driving safely. “You have to maneuver, park, move your neck. You need to have strong legs to step on the brakes. This is related to food, strength and physical activity. The moment to stop driving does not depend on age, but on the functionality of the person”, emphasizes Santos.

“Society moves on wheels and the loss of the ability to drive is painful. There are works that show that the elderly, when they stop driving, go into depression, have more hospitalizations and break ups. attention of the elderly and family members when it comes to stopping driving”, concludes Adura.

According to the Detran-SP, 27.3 million drivers have a CNH (National Driver’s License) registered in the state of São Paulo. Of the total, 4.3 million (15.7%) are aged 60 or over.

According to the traffic legislation in force in the country, the renewal of the CNH must occur every ten years, for drivers under the age of 50; with periodicity of five, for those between 50 and 69 years old; and every three, for drivers aged 70 or over.

Some medications to be aware of when driving

Antidepressants: fluoxetine, amitriptyline, mirtazapine, and trazodone
Anxiolytics and sedatives: diazepam, lorazepam and clonazepam
Antiallergic: dexchlorpheniramine
Drugs that lower glucose: glibenclamide, gliclazide, and insulin
Opioid analgesics: tramadol, methadone and morphine
Muscle relaxants: cyclobenzaprine and orphenadrine

Traffic violations most committed by the elderly

According to the studies on vehicle safety that gave rise to the booklet, driving with a red light, prohibited turning to the left —requires more cognition—, prohibited return, dangerous overtaking and not driving on the right side of the road are the infractions most committed by drivers 60+ , due to being under the influence of medication or due to cognitive loss.

Driver 60+ is in 12.6% of traffic accidents in SP

Regarding accidents with fatal victims in traffic, data from the Detran show that the state of São Paulo registered 1,525 deaths between January and April of this year. In 941 records, the driver was one of the victims. In 119 (12.6%) of these occurrences, the driver was 60 years of age or older.

In the same period last year, 1,584 deaths were recorded in the state. In 958 cases, the driver was one of the victims and 106 of these drivers (11%) belonged to the 60+ bracket.