Driving under the influence of migraine

By tammy-lrome

We try so hard to disguise our pain. We cook and clean and shop and work – all while coping with nasty migraine symptoms. Giving up is a last resort. Yet there is one thing we should never do during a migraine attack.

Don’t migraine and drive.

The NTSB lists Migraine as one of several medical conditions that have the potential to interfere with safe driving. Many states have enacted driving laws that prohibit driving any time you impaired by a substance (even prescription medicines) or medical condition. Physicians are required to report any patient who is unable to drive safely as a result of a medical condition.

Migraine attacks impair our ability to drive safely in many ways:

Visual aura
Photophobia
Phonophobia
Moderate to severe pain
Nausea and vomiting
Slower reflexes
Slower reaction times
Impaired thinking
Fatigue
Muscle tension
Paralysis
Vertigo
Dizziness
Blurred vision
Tinnitus
Sleep deprivation

A while back I received a prayer request from a friend. She had just received news that one of her friends passed away, leaving behind a husband and young children. This young mother was a migraineur. She was up in the middle of the night dealing with a migraine attack. Sometime early that morning she decided to take a drive, telling no one of her plans. Her husband woke to a visit from the Highway Patrol. His wife died as a result of a single-car accident. We may never know what caused the accident. However, the fact that she was in the middle of a migraine attack is probably at least a contributing factor.

Like you, I have taken huge risks by driving during a migraine attack, even after taking abortive and rescue medications that were clearly sedating. So far I have been fortunate to defy the odds. That was before I learned that Migraine is a lot more than just a bad headache. I wouldn’t think of driving during an attack now. From the first sign of prodrome until the hangover passes completely, driving is out of the question.

Rarely is anything so urgent that it can’t wait until the attack is over. If absolutely necessary, I ask for a ride. Sure, it can be very inconvenient and downright frustrating. Yet the alternative is untenable. I refuse to put my life and the lives of other drivers at risk.

Please be safe. Don’t migraine and drive.

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t5gpme
I agree with most of what you're saying here, however, many of us do not have much of a support system. We relocated to another state and only have a few friends thus far. Most of whom work full time. My husband does not have a regular work schedule. Some days he's off, some days he's working 12-16 hours or he's gone overnight. My children go to a private school and I drive them 20 miles each way. When I am having a migraine, I don't have a choice. I must bring them and pick them up. I do worry sometimes especially when I see that I am having delayed reactions or confusion while driving, but the only thing I can do is ask God to give me what I need to get through and He does every time. I put my faith and trust in Him.
1. tammy-lrome
 dawnmarie, I am so sorry you are in such a difficult position. Please understand that if you were ever in an accident while experiencing a migraine and someone else was hurt or killed, you could be held responsible because you knew the risks. Please share this information with your husband and school administrators. Surely there is someone from the school who can help transport the kids when you are having an attack. I understand how difficult it is when you are new to a community and haven't developed friendships. It is so hard that it feels impossible. I know that God will help keep you all safe AND help you find a safer solution. I will be praying for you, my friend.
I agree. I keep telling my docs that I feel very impaired during and after a migraine. It's almost like a stroke (without paralysis) that I have to "recover" from. It has taken weeks upon weeks to get over this IF I do not have another migraine. And I take the bare minimum of meds now to keep from being so out of it. It's horrible that this is so debilitating. No one knows until you have suffered with this yourself.
shortymorgan
Yes. Scary. I am now currently grounded (my choice)- grounded as in plane can not fly. - not punished. I had 2 episodes. One I was having aphasia although I did not know that is want it was. I thought it was an allergic reaction to meds....had it several times before. Never when driving. Second time was when photophobia was so bad I automatically closed my eyes for 5 seconds while driving. Now I can not wrk. Will only drive around town when I can get home quickly. I am still too sick to drive to work, etc. Be well
grammayumyum
How does this work for those on this site who have weeks-long or months-long migraine? Do they not drive at all? I grounded myself about two years ago. When my daughter and her husband move away to grad school, I will really be in a bind for transportation in a rural city in the Colorado mountains. Everything is spread out over a few miles distance. I can use my wheelchair part of the year (while the weather is decent) to get to nearby locations. I have to drive my wheelchair on the side of the streets through parts of town, because the sidewalks are too damaged. There is no public transportation. Church friends help for a little while, before they expect you to get better.
bethyoung
I had a bad experience a few days ago. I Was driving back country roads when I w hit by an aura. Blocked the middle of my vision very suddenly. Luckily I was close to my destination but it sure scared me.
themiche
I have driven with migraine. I have had migraine attack me while I was driving. I take it slowly, avoiding the highway and if I have to, keeping to the extreme left lane. I have had an occasion when the sudden attack was so bad (accompanied by vertigo) that I had to pull aside and call for backup. I collected my car from the mall perking lot the next day.
1. themiche
 Note: I said extreme left lane, because in my country, we drive on the left.
tinallee
I have driven with migraine. I still drive with migraine. I DO however have my limits. If my vision is affected, if I am having difficulty making decisions, if I am confused, all of these are reasons why I cannot drive. In an extreme situation, I might drive myself a short distance if I know there is a safe place to pull over, but not if I can get out of it, however I am a school bus driver, so if there are signs that my cargo (precious lives) will be in danger, I will NOT get behind the wheel. I have found that the concentration required to drive can help overcome the symptoms for a time, however, I also know my own limitations. Sometimes Aura, Predome to stage three PAIN can happen almost together and I have to be able to function through it until I can get through with my route. I have been dealing with migraine for forty years <a href='http://now.Thankfully' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer nofollow'>now.Thankfully</a> the current treatment regimen is allowing abortive therapy to work, because there is no real rescue therapy that does. That means I am finding myself in that situation rarely which is quite a blessing for someone who went five years without a break from migraine.
1. ms293v
 Sounds like you are using your best judgment and doing the best you can - but trying to get society to understand when I am trying to do my best to make a living. Damned if I do (work, and risk driving) and Damned if I don't (jeopardize my job because I'm not always in condition to drive, and there's no alternative way to get to my job). Society doesn't accomodate people like me. Society believes in "survival of the fittest" but I don't have to agree with that.
kflacy
I agree it can be extremely unsafe to drive and migraine. My last doctor at Stanford had me drive to the pain center to get a Toradol shot during a migraine. The Toradol didn't help and driving was a nightmare! I suggest Uber or Lyft drivers to pick up kids or for yourself. I've used it a lot when I was recently on crutches for 2 months and several drivers had regular school pick-ups for parents. I know, I should not have been migraine and driving many times and I'm thankful nothing happened.
angreed65
I'm dismayed by the people who obviously have no regard for the lives others, including CHILDREN, while on the road. I moved so that I could be near a bus stop so I would have reliable transportation to & from work. I'm sure that this comment probably doesn't meet the niceness factor of this forum, but those of you who continue to drive with a migraine, especially with CHILDREN in your vehicle, are a menace. I have to tell you that YOUR lives are no more important than mine or those I love and YOUR god will not save you or anyone else. If he was real, why should he protect you over some other good believer?!?
1. ms293v
 Some of us can't afford to move to places with better public transportation (these cities tend to cost more) and if we don't work we will die on the streets. I would never drive with a migraine, so there's no need to be so judgmental, but won't I still be judged harshly (whether by God, society, etc) if I become a burden on society because I can't work. I'm in what's considered the prime of my working years, but my headaches (can't tell if they are migraine or tension) are coming more and more frequently. Since this world is unforgiving and doesn't give anyone anything, I don't expect to get disability or any other support to keep myself alive if I can't work. But I would never endanger others knowingly, so would never drive if a headache was incapacitating me. This means I could die on the streets as a homeless person. At least I won't take anyone down with me, but I can't stop feeling fear and guilt. Do you have any suggestions or do you just think if I can't work that I'm a bum?
marjieoc
My migraine doc told me years ago that I probably shouldn't be driving. But that was the only way I could get to work, and my boss was one of those who thinks migraines are just bad headaches. Since I have at least some symptoms of migraines almost daily, I've learned to be very aware of what's going on with a particular attack. It might be a silent migraine with no pain but plenty of brain fog. I carefully assess my ability to drive before getting behind the wheel and cancel the trip if necessary. Fortunately I don't have visual auras, and I can drive with the blurred vision I sometimes have ... as long as I don't have to read road signs! Now that I'm a widow, I HAVE to drive to run errands, go to doctors' appointments, go grocery shopping, etc. I do as much shopping as possible on the Internet, which also gives me a little protection from buying something while my judgment is impaired.
tinallee
Please don't be ugly and judgmental. Sometimes we have no choice other than to figure out how to do the things we did not know we could make ourselves do such as walk straight when the world I'd spinning, concentrate and make quick accurate rational decisions through migraine clouded thickly fogged brain. We see through eyes that are swollen shut when the sun is excruciatingly <a href='http://blinding.We' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer nofollow'>blinding.We</a> keep going when the only thing we want to do is crawl into a dark womb-like enclosure and stay there until all symptoms subside. Why do we do these things? Is it because we have no concept of how dangerous it is to keep going? Is it because we are stubborn or simply ignorant of how our choices effect others? No! A thousand times No! We do these things because we have no choice. We either have no other options or we deal with migraine every day and simply must have a life other than the prison of pain nausea blurred vision ringing ears etc that makes up our daily lives.
jones8900
Wow!!! Lots of mixed comments here. Being chronic with daily migraines for sooooooo long over 10 years....driving has been quite limited....I know when I can't or shouldn't. Migraine doesn't get the attention or understanding from outsiders..and until such time, for me, if I say I can't drive myself because of migraine, I am not understood now and probably never will be. When there is a window of safety..I'm out because I don't know how long til the next opportunity.... Janet Jones
jones8900
Sure wish I knew you personally Tammy....I have yet to make a girlfriend here in rural Atlanta where we moved to from Las Vegas 2 years ago...migraining went into high gear here and have been home puns for the majority...our young baby grandchildren bring joy..the reason for the move, however, climate isn't condusive like dry Las Vegas for 21 years....
1. tammy-lrome
 I would love to get know you! I hang out on the Forums and Facebook page quite a bit. Most of my friends are distant. I don't see my local friends and more often than the ones that live far away. The topic of this article is a significant factor why we all communicate virtually. You are so right about grandkids! We just had our first one about a year ago. Look me up sometime. I'm not hard to find. 😀
shortymorgan
Let me start out by saying I would like to support everyone on this thread. Dealing with chronic migraine is very difficult. We all have to get our needs met. We migraine-rs have some of the same needs (like food, clothes, dr, etc), but some of us have other needs like children, work, etc. We don't all have the same resources. No judgement for those that drive with migraine. I think the important thing is to know your limits. And I think it is important to know your resources/support and feel comfortable asking for help when needed. I am amazed at how creative we can be when looking for resources. I have just gotten to the point of having resources when my migraines became really bad. I haven't always had resources and I too have driven with migraines. It has been an emotional healing journey asking and allowing others to help and putting limits on myself for the safety of others. I have missed lots of things, had to spread out dr appts due to no transportation, but I have to do what I have to do. Be well and great topic for discussion Tammy.
1. not found
 Thank you Sandy, I was a bit enraged when I read "Rarely is anything so urgent that it can’t wait until the attack is over." We are supposed to be a community of support and help. Part of that is acknowledging that we all have different circumstances. Some attacks can last hours or days. Would you have me just stay at work for days until my head clears? I frequently have to drive with migraine, and I hate it. If I didn't have to, I wouldn't. When I do, I try to take the best precautions, drive more slowly, take less crowded roads, etc. Yesterday I found myself driving home because I couldn't stand to be at work anymore. Everyone I knew was at work and unable t leave. My condition is not quite bad enough for Disability and I am a contractor so I do not qualify for FMLA. This means I am stuck doing what I can. When I am bad enough, I will have my husband drive me. I've also had situations in the past, where I just left work & sat in my car for an hour before I drove home while I waited for the aura to clear.
2. jenniferbrodeur
 Sara, I completely understand how you feel. The first year I became chronic I tried to continue to work. I did have FMLA but because I had used all my sick leave and vacation leave, I was not getting paid while taking FMLA, and my income was taking a very hard hit. Eventually even my FMLA was running out. And I STILL was working the rest of the time with migraines. I wanted to take some short term disability because I thought if I jumped on them right away, I might be able to get out of the chronic stage, but my first neurologist said, "I have migraines and I have to work...you need to learn to do it too." Of course, she didn't work at the front desk of the administrative offices of a busy community college, either. But as a single person and self-supporting, I had few people to call on to drive me around. AS you said, everyone else had to work also. And when the migraines are daily, you can't expect people to put themselves out like that for you. Nobody at work lived in my direction, so it wasn't convenient to carpool. I am now on disability, like Tammy, and I understand where Tammy is coming from when she said what she did about waiting until the attack is over. However, for someone who is still working and trying desperately to keep their job, not driving is simply not always an option. Public transportation may not be an option either (there were no buses out to where I worked!) If you're talking about the occasional, episodic migraine, that's one thing; but if the migraines are frequent or chronic, then weighing the consequences of driving against the consequences of what will happen if you stay home can be a very difficult but necessary decision.
mermadelove
I have driven under the influence of migraine. I have a story that demonstrates why you shouldn't. While in nursing school, I was working as a waitress at a restaurant I had worked at on and off for 16 years. In that time, I did almost every job in the place. SO! Suffice it to say I knew it well. I was standing at the kitchen window for a good two minutes before the chef owner asked me what I was waiting for. I told him I was waiting for tea-- which was at the waitstation-- 5 feet to my right-- as it had been since I started working there. Everyone stared at me for a second. He asked if I was ok. I told him I had a migraine and he sent me home because those are not the kinds of mistakes I was known for. I was known for being able to do the job in my sleep. So I had to drive home-- a three minute endeavor at best. I was literally around the corner from my house when I called by BFF for DIRECTIONS. She told me that I shouldn't be driving. That was the beginning of chronic migraine for me.
mjfrench
I just hit my car in the garage's door. Did not see well , my reflexe were not good . I did not have aura but my focus Was not good. ( i am french, sorry for my english)
1. mjfrench
 I meant that sometimes we think it ok to drive because the vision is ok, no aura but i just realised that living with a migraine 90% of the time , makes me feel that it is a normal condition for me but it is not ! For the last days a few drivers seems to be mad at me and it means that my driving is not well at all. I had to damage my car to realise that. I am just in the begining of the process to accept my condition.
218nth
As someone who wasn't even aware of their own migraine symptoms, en route to work recently during my 1 1/2 hour commute, it occurred to me that my hypersensitivity (overload) to light and sound stimuli might be something other than stress. And like others, coming to terms with one's condition is the first step in understanding how to cope with the day to day effects. I find that talking about it with others who don't relate to the way in which migraine's can be all consuming, is difficult to describe, because the intensity of migraine's vary from one to another. For myself, I just need to get to a place of uninterrupted dark and quiet, and remain still.
smkirchdoerfer
Last week I drove to work during the peak of a migraine. I was overcome with waves of nausea and in much pain. I never even saw the cop sitting at the stop sign adjacent to mine. I pulled out just as he was and I almost hit him! He did follow me for a mile before deciding to not pull me over. It shook me up because I couldn't help but think of how I would have looked to him. Would he have believed me that I had a migraine? Were my meds a factor also? It was clearly my fault....and sometimes I wonder why I push myself to go to work even though I should clearly be in bed.
robertcan
I was hit with a migraine while driving yesterday. As I sat at an intersection waiting for the traffic light to change, I remembered this article and thought to myself, "Am I impaired?" It didn't take long for my migraine to answer my question. There's no question I was impaired. Fortunately, I was only a few minutes from home. Driving is a high-risk endeavor under the best of circumstances. Driving under the influence of migraine raises that risk to unacceptable levels for me. But my story goes to show that there are times when its not by choice. Wishing you all a pain-free day! - robert
About four years ago I had an auto accident, but didn't put the pieces together until recently. I was scheduled to pick my elder mother up at our accountants office. I had a migraine, and took my usual Maxalt(that I've taken for yrs). I've always had a great driving record with no wrecks since a teen. I'm 45 now. As I entered the parking lot, and went to park my feet and brain couldn't make the connection. It was surreal. My brain said step on the break, and my body couldn't process the response. I ended up pressing the gas and went thru the accountant's building. My Brain and Body were not on the same track. It did $20,000 worth of damage to the building, and $8,000 worth of damage to my car. I went to ER with neck damage and severe migraine a week later. Luckily, the car stopped before hurting any staff. I couldn't see the pattern at the time blaming it on stress because of financial problems ( visit to accountant) Since filing for disability ( turned down 2x) I have been reviewing every symptom or anything since childhood related to migraines. I believe now that driving is clearly out of the question since so many functions are effected. Hope this helps someone. It can be so scary. Blessings.
mahtamouse
I used to have daily migraines to the point they'd become the norm for me, so yes I even drove with them... straight to my husband's shop where I'd raid his first aid kit for 2 Naproxen to dull the pain, run my errands, and then stop back to raid it again for another 2 before going home to rest. One night however, I was driving to work when in the middle of a long curved freeway off ramp I was suddenly hit by a massive migraine. In 0.1 seconds I went from safe driving into full vomit mode. To say it was scary is an understatement. I was still several miles away from work and scared about how I was going to make it through the rest of that long curved off ramp; could I possibly safely pull over in the middle of that darkened ramp; what should I do? I finally did make it off and barely got to work where I headed straight to the ladies room. Afterwards I called home to have my husband come get me... my straight from the tavern drunk husband. Damned one way, damned the other. After reading this article however, I now realize that I am indeed impaired while migraining, even if it is "the norm" for me and will take that into account next time I'm tempted to get behind the wheel. Sometimes we can become so accustomed to the pain and visual problems that I (we) don't always realize that for all intents and purposes, we are at least somewhat impaired even during a minor attack.
jenniferbrodeur
I have battled with this issue within myself. There are some migraines where I absolutely KNOW I cannot drive. But there are some when the pain isn't that bad, and so I feel that I need to carry on with life. When you are on disability with chronic migraines, trying to carry on a halfway normal life is the only thing that can keep you sane. The temptation to drive during the relatively mild migraines in order to keep a degree of normalcy and balance in my life has often outweighed the risks. But even when I don't have a migraine, my reflexes and judgment is impaired. I even had my neurologist test me for Alzheimer's (my mother passed away from it) because of some of the things I was doing. As for driving, I get lost in areas I have lived all my life. I constantly make wrong turns, thinking a street is north of where I am when it is south. I turn the wrong way on one-way streets. I always have photophobia to some degree. My thinking processes and reflexes are slow. The neurologist believes that most of this is due to the Topamax I am on, so I am titrating off. Some things have gotten better, some have not. Have any of you that have had chronic migraines for years (I have only been chronic for 4 years) found that the migraines themselves cause these kinds of changes in your cognitive skills? I am 60 years old, and I don't know whether it is my age, the migraines, or something else, and whether I shall ever get the other half of my brain back!
1. mahtamouse
 Garangwyn... I'm also 60 and supposed to be on Topiramate but because it makes me drowsy, I've not been taking it like I should, not to mention that my partner is also scared spitless of me driving while on it. After my husband died a few years ago (cancer), I went through a long period where like you, I would turn the wrong way on a one way street, get lost in my tiny small town, and forget how to get home, among other horrid things. My migraines were also boatloads worse and I was scared spitless; convinced I'd gone straight from the funeral into Alzheimer's. This lasted 6 long miserable years and has only this year started to very slowly improve; though my short term memory is still shot. So I have to ask if you're under any kind of stress other than from your migraines which ARE stressful. My *personal* opinion is that migraines over time can affect our memory and brain function; not to mention the meds we take which often leave us in a fog. As I said, this is my personal opinion and I'd love to know what others think about this. Good luck and I hope you're able to find a balance with your meds that work for you...
ms293v
How am I going to keep my job. I would never knowingly drive incapacited, but I only am able to find part-time work (3 days or about 15 hours a week) about 45 minutes from home. This is the only work I can find that pays more than minimum wage and allows me to sit when I need to (I can only stand for 2-3 hours at a time). In any case, I'm afraid my job, as a library assistant, is going to be cut come July when we go from being a county-administered to city administered library. I used to be a Librarian (part-time, 20 hours on average) but due to cut backs I'm constantly facing less hours less pay and less opportunity. I wish there were a special section on this web site about trying to make a living when you have chronic migraines (also, I have a lot of stress due to the current poor economy, the increasingly competitive nature of our society, and the fear that my husband may become ill and I may have to support us both - currently he's the breadwinner, and a devoted husband, but doesn't take very good care of his health.)
Had to laugh at this article. I have experienced Driving under the Influence first hand. I had to drive from DC to New Jersey for a meeting. By the time I got to NJ, I was in the middle of a roaring migraine, but my meds make me stumble over my sentences so I decided to suffer through as long as possible before I took them. I finally took one pill about 15 minutes before the end of the meeting. It was enough to just knock the edge off of the migraine. My boss was worried about me driving home alone, but I said I could make it. Hah! I got on the Garden State Pky going south, blew past my exit and ALL the other exits, and didn't realize that I was going the wrong way until 90 minutes later when the road ended at the ocean. It was like I 'woke up' and I was at the Cape May ferry terminal. I have no idea how I got there. Thanks to that and a couple other mistakes I made with the trip, my 3 hour drive took almost 7 hours. Now I never drive with a migraine if I can help it. Safer to just recline the seat and nap if possible.
Unfortunately I'm a military spouse and a mom of 4 young kids. I have to drive with a migraine more often than I care to admit. So I stay off the interstate and stop frequently. My doctors don't take my symptoms seriously, my husband is often away, and I have no nearby friends or family. I'm also chronic with severe and uncontrolled daily migraines. I've held my kids out of school, skipped interviews and appointments, and holed up in my house on my worst days. Or I'll walk the older two the two miles to school instead of getting behind the wheel. But at the same time, with two babies, even walking that far can be immensely dangerous.
annequin-harkin
I'm so glad this story is here. I just hit a pole in the parking garage after being in day 2 of my migraine. The last time I hit a pole in the same garage - over a year ago - it was the same thing. Migraine. No headache, and the medication had worn off the day before, just the postdrome of exhaustion and slow reflexes. Like many others on this thread, I've already used up all my sick time and have to keep a job so staying home was not an option. When I have aura or extreme dizziness, then I draw the line and won't drive but yikes. I used to take the subway as it was safer when I had an attack, but I've since moved and it's not an option. It's comforting to hear that I'm not 'over-reacting' to migraine. I can barely keep my eyes open and yet have to drive home from work now. I think I will be safe as long as there are no poles on the road.
1. Joanna Bodner Admin
 Oh Anne!!! I am SO sorry to read this! I hope you (and of course the car too) are ok? I am however happy to read that you found this article and that is resonated with you. Sometimes all that can get you through for moments like this is the thought of knowing that you are NOT alone and that many others are out there are dealing with the same circumstances. Be safe out there and hoping you are able to get some good, well needed rest to get you back up and running with a more "clear" head! We are thinking of you! Thanks for sharing & for being part of our community! -Joanna (Migraine.com Team)
djstolle
The last thing I remember was standing next to my friend as she got her hair colored. I told her (I'm told later) that I had the start of a Migraine and needed to go home. Here is what (again, I'm told) happened when I left the shop. I got in the car and drove off the sidewalk curb into the street. Another friend was driving to work and I almost hit her car. She followed me for over 30 minutes as I drove all over town and then finally parked in my driveway. I lived only 3 miles from where the Beauty Shop was. I thought I went straight home and was feeling blessed because there was NO TRAFFIC ANYWHERE. I was blessed that I did not hit anyone or cause any accidents. What goes through our minds and what happens in real life can be two very different things during a Migraine.
1. tammy-lrome
 YES! Thank you so much for this. Driving during a migraine attack is extremely dangerous. I'm so glad you had someone looking out for you and that you didn't get hurt or hurt anyone else.