Drivers are urged to check with a doctor or pharmacist, as DVLA guidance warns 14 medicines can impair driving.
10:16, 15 May 2026Updated 10:28, 15 May 2026
DVLA confirms full list of 14 common prescriptions that could get drivers banned
The DVLA has confirmed a full list of 14 common prescriptions that can see you banned from roads under strict rules. Drivers are urged to check with a doctor or pharmacist, as DVLA guidance warns 14 medicines can impair driving.
Greg Wilson of Quotezone said: “If you are on strong medications, it is likely that you will be recommended to avoid driving. Opioid painkillers, tranquillisers, and certain antidepressants are examples of medicines that can affect driving ability – as well as those that cause drowsiness or say ‘do not operate heavy machinery.’”
The issue, according to road experts, is that if a medication is likely to cause drowsiness or carries warnings such as “do not operate heavy machinery”, motorists may be advised not to get behind the wheel.
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You can drive after taking these drugs – which are listed below, courtesy of the DVLA website – if you’ve been prescribed them and followed advice on how to take them by a healthcare professional.
Or, you could get banned if they are not causing you to be unfit to drive even if you’re above the specified limits, the DVLA adds.
You could be prosecuted if you drive with certain levels of these drugs in your body and you have not been prescribed them, the guidance adds.
The law does not cover Northern Ireland but you could still be arrested if you’re unfit to drive, the DVLA also explains on the Labour Party government website.
If you fall foul of the rules, your driving licence will also show you’ve been convicted for drug driving. This will last for 11 years.
The maximum penalty for causing death by careless driving under the influence of drugs is life imprisonment.
14 common medicines that could see drivers told by DVLA to avoid the road
Amphetamine
Dextroamphetamine
Selegiline
Clonazepam
Diazepam
Flunitrazepam
Lorazepam
Methadone
Morphine
Codeine
Tramadol
Fentanyl
Oxazepam
Temazepam