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People taking Xanax can get pulled over and charged for drugged driving because Xanax can make people feel sedated. Xanax and other anti-anxiety medications use a class of drug called benzodiazepines. These drugs work by depressing the central nervous system. They make people feel relaxed and calm. They are used as a short-term treatment for anxiety and insomnia.

Similar drugs include:

• Librium
• Doral
• Valium
• Ativan

Taking Xanax and then driving can leave drivers too calm. They can impair a driver’s ability to operate a vehicle safely. Drivers may be too sedated to notice dangers and react to them appropriately. The best thing to do is not drive if you are feeling tired after taking your prescription Xanex. If you consumed alcohol after taking your prescription Xanex then definitely do not drive. Xanex is a benzodiazepine. It is well known to the scientific community, police, and prosecutors that benzodiazepines enhance the effects of alcohol. In Pennsylvania drug and drug and alcohol combined DUI charges result in punishment in the highest tier.

If you find yourself pulled over for whatever reason, do not tell the police officer you took Xanex. Even if taken in for a blood test. Most people do not know that unless a police officer specifically requests that their blood be tested for Xanex, that it will not be found. The reason for that is the blood must be put into a gas chromatograph specifically set up to test for benzodiazepines. If a police officer only suspects alcohol the lab won’t look for Xanex. Therefore, even if it is present in a driver’s blood it won’t be found and that can possibly avoid enhanced DUI penalties based on the presence of drugs.
When pulled over by a police officer.

Silence is always golden.

Most drivers think that having a prescription for their medication protect them from DUI charges. That is not correct and can get a driver in trouble.

Pennsylvania DUI statutes make it illegal to drive while impaired by a drug or combination of drugs. The word ‘drug’ in the statute is not limited to illegal drugs or even DEA scheduled drugs.

Here are the common prescription drugs that can lead to being charged with a DUI:

1. Adderall
2. Xanex
3. Ambien
4. Vicodin
5. Clarinex

Here is how a typical traffic stop can turn into a nightmare for a driver taking their prescription medication:

The driver is going down the street. Maybe they swerve a little. Fail to use a traffic signal, or one of their lights are not working. The police officer then pulls them over. The police officer either notices a prescription bottle or asks the driver if they are taking any medication. The driver, not knowing what these questions are designed to do, honestly tells the police officer they are taking their prescription medication. At this point it becomes a DUI stop.

The officer then asks the driver out of the car. Gives field sobriety tests. They May even calls in a drug DUI specialist that are called Drug Recognition Expert. and just like that, DUI charges are filed!

Generally, police officers do not consider that the person they are giving physical tests to is suffering from illness or injury. The biggest reason they do not is that the field sobriety tests that they are given have ABSOLUTELY NO leeway for people with physical injuries or illness. These tests have certain clues. If a clue is seen, it is scored. It does not matter if the physical disability, illness, or actual impairment cause the clue to be seen. If it is there it is scored. This is not an exercise where you want any points, let alone a lot of points.

I often see police camera video of field sobriety tests where the officer tells my client that they will take their physical disability into account in the tests. That is a total lie. The tests they give do not have any room for error because of physical disabilities, disease, or mental impairment from past brain injuries. I once had a DUI case where the police officer let my client do a field sobriety test with his cane. Talk about setting a person up for failure.

Here is a common trick that the police like to use. Once the driver tells the police officer about their physical disability or illness the officer then asks the driver if they feel they can do the test. Most drivers say yes and give the test a try. They have no clue what they are agreeing to. They often believe their disability will be considered. They are not. I have gone to the same exact training as the police officers get. Police officers are trained to know that physical problems can interfere with the tests and give false results and they must score a clue if it is found. But they never tell drivers this.

There are many possilble defenses to prescription medication DUI cases. People take medication because they are ill or injured. People who are ill or injured are most often worse off without their medication. However, police officers will charge a person with a DUI nonetheless, and then let the lawyers sort it out. Be aware of this.

If you take a prescription medication do not tell this to a police officer if asked. You have the right to remain silent. Do it. If you carry your prescription medication in your car do not put it in a place that can be seen or with your registration and insurance. Furthermore, if asked to step out of your vehicle and asked to take the field sobriety test, tell the officer because of your injury or illness you decline to take the test because of your injury. Do not let the officer intimidate you into doing it. Even if they threaten you with arrest, do not do it.

If the police officer is going to arrest you, then they are going to arrest you.

Do not give police evidence they can twist and use against you. Your defense lawyer and your freedom will thank you for it later.

Adderall is a stimulant designed primarily to treat ADHD and other attention disorders. Adderall is a combination of the drugs dextroamphetamine and amphetamine. These drugs work to keep someone focused and attentive. Adderall is used to treat ADHD and other attention disorders. Amphetamines are DEA Schedule II (Two) drugs.

Drugs similar to Adderall are:

• Ritalin
• Focalin
• Adzenys
• Vyvanse

These drugs work by stimulating the central nervous system. As the stimulation begins to fade around six hours on average, it can leave the person taking Adderall feeling tired. It is this tiredness that can lead to poor driving. So people who are on the downside of the pharmacological effects of Adderall can become tired and that is when they get pulled over. It is not the drug causing the poor driving. However, that is not what the police or prosecutors believe.

The best thing you can do if you take Adderall or any other medication for ADHD or other attention related illnesses is TO NOT tell a police officer you take it. You do not have to answer an officer if they ask you if you take any medication because the Fifth Amendment to the constitution says so.

The answer is: yes, if they impair you. Pennsylvania punishes drug-based DUI offenses the harshest. It does not matter if it is a sleeping pill. Common sleeping medications are Ambien, Lunesta, and Sonata. If you take these, be very careful.

Ambien is a particular nasty sleeping medication that can lead to a condition called somnambulism. Somnambulism is another word for sleepwalking or doing other things while in a sleep state. One of which is sleep driving. That is never a good thing. I have represented clients who have taken Ambien and the next thing they remember is being in a police station after hitting a telephone pole and they do not remember hitting the pole.

Sleeping pill induces drowsiness. It is another drug in the benzodiazepine family. It works by slowing activity in the brain and nervous system. Ambien is used to treat insomnia and sleeping problems.

Sleeping pills like Ambien can have after-effects on people after they wake up. Like a hangover, these can leave people feeling drowsy and lethargic. Sleeping pills in combination with alcohol are a very nasty combination.

I tell my clients and friends that if they take Ambien to have their doctor prescribe something else. Also never mix alcohol with sleeping pills.