How to make a complaint about the DVLA medical assessment process

DVLA Medical result

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03matchs

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Hi Guys,

I promised in a feed a while ago that i would provide an update on my driving situation. After a very long wait and a long hastle with the DVLA i have today found out that i will be getting my license back after 5 years.

Do get this license i had to attend 2 medicals (DVLA rejected the first because there was a signature missing) 50+ phone calls with the DVLA. Faxing my papers through over 3 times.
Its been a nightmare and a really horrible experience and one that I will certainly not be making happen again.

Its a very long and lonely road that the DVLA need us to go through but I believe everything happens for a reason whether it is good or bad. The one thing i have learnt through this is that all of what happens is down to me. I chose to drink and drive and i suffered the consequences. I took the steps to stop drinking and get my license back and i have now reached the end of that journey that i am sure some of you have just started or or going through.

Best advise i can give is to keep your eyes on the prize. Keep focused and be persistent and surround yourself with people that want to help you.

This blog i have been reading for a long time and it has kept me going through some pretty tough times and im so happy that i can share my good news.

If anyone wants any advise please feel free to reply to this note and i would be happy to help with any concerns or worries.

I finally feel that ive been given a fresh start and my life back!!

Cheers guys

Matchas
 
Hi glad to hear you got your licence back.

I have my medical next week on Wednesday, and was wondering if you could help.

I have been maintaining a weekly drinking level typically 27-28 units, I have only been drinking these over the weekends being Friday night to Sunday night. This has been in the form of ales and bitters.

Since January although unproven it can help, I have been regularly taking daily milk thistle tablets, and the past 2 months has been twice daily. Also the past 3-4 months I have added Vitamin B Complex supplements taken twice daily. The past 2 weeks I have started mornings with a fresh lemon juice and water mix (not very nice but hey) and also since Wednesday just gone I have started taking a iron & vitamin C mix supplement and will continue til next Wednesday.

At weekends when drinking I have increased the milk thistle and Vitamin B's to 3 times daily on the Friday, Saturday and Sundays.

Probably gone over board on the Vitamin B's as well as caffeine though, as been drinking a lot of coffee and energy drinks (large ones) lol.

I am approx. 5 foot 6, and weight around 11 stone.

I have heard that Vitamin C helps absorb the iron (which are as 1 tablet form), and iron can see a reduction in %CDT. Milk Thistle may or may not help the liver, lemon juice and water is known to help detox the liver and cleanse it.

On the medical day I will have been without drink for starting 10 days.

I will not be drinking this coming weekend for obvious reasons, but wondered by that information if you or anybody else would say I should safely pass green or amber on the blood test, hens will I get my licence back?

Please feel free to ask me anything else needed, and thanks in advance.

Anyone who replies, please I am prepared, I really do want a rough idea so am ready for the brutal truth.
 
Last edited:
edge1536bwm said:
Hi glad to hear you got your licence back.

I have my medical next week on Wednesday, and was wondering if you could help.

I have been maintaining a weekly drinking level typically 27-28 units, I have only been drinking these over the weekends being Friday night to Sunday night. This has been in the form of ales and bitters.

Since January although unproven it can help, I have been regularly taking daily milk thistle tablets, and the past 2 months has been twice daily. Also the past 3-4 months I have added Vitamin B Complex supplements taken twice daily. The past 2 weeks I have started mornings with a fresh lemon juice and water mix (not very nice but hey) and also since Wednesday just gone I have started taking a iron & vitamin C mix supplement and will continue til next Wednesday.

At weekends when drinking I have increased the milk thistle and Vitamin B's to 3 times daily on the Friday, Saturday and Sundays.

Probably gone over board on the Vitamin B's as well as caffeine though, as been drinking a lot of coffee and energy drinks (large ones) lol.

I am approx. 5 foot 6, and weight around 11 stone.

I have heard that Vitamin C helps absorb the iron (which are as 1 tablet form), and iron can see a reduction in %CDT. Milk Thistle may or may not help the liver, lemon juice and water is known to help detox the liver and cleanse it.

On the medical day I will have been without drink for starting 10 days.

I will not be drinking this coming weekend for obvious reasons, but wondered by that information if you or anybody else would say I should safely pass green or amber on the blood test, hens will I get my licence back?

Please feel free to ask me anything else needed, and thanks in advance.

Anyone who replies, please I am prepared, I really do want a rough idea so am ready for the brutal truth.
Click to expand...

Hi Edge,

Firstly best of luck for the medical next week and i hope that it goes well. Its quite a nerve racking thing to do!

In terms of the tablets and milk thistle that you have been taking... Ive been quite skeptical about its use for a couple of reasons which i will list below:

1- The body shouldnt need extra nutrients if you are already living a healthy lifestyle.
2- The use of Milkthistle is surrounded with ambiguity to whether it is beneficial
3- Iron will not leave the body through tablet use. (I have a friend who is a biologist who confirmed this for me). Equally Iron build up in the blood is casued by high alcohol consumption. Only time solves high levels of CDT and iron in the blood.

If you alcohol consumption is 27-28 united per week i think that would put you right on the upper limit of the RDA allowance of consumption so I wouldnt be suprised if the DVLA wanted to speak to your doctor following the blood results and I honestly would be very suprised if you passed through this with a green indication.

The DVLA blood test measures CDT. CDT levels start to become lower after completely abstaining from alcohol for at least 14 days (due to its chemical half life) depending on how much you have previously consumed.

I didnt drink for nearly 3 months before my first medical and 4 weeks for my second and they still wanted information from my doctor before getting my license back. (they can often ask this just becasue they can...)

I think your best approach to the medical is complete honesty. They will not be interested in what vitamin suppliments that you have been taken but simply what is your consumption of alcohol weekly and whether you take drugs. I think its also best to lay off the booze completely until then!

I do wish you the best of luck and hope this helped.

Matchs
 
Thanks, I see so the iron is not a good idea then?

Would you know roughly what my %CDT might be at?

The DVLA do tend to prolong things and obviously make as much money as possible, so they probably do just ask because they can.

Do you think it may be a amber then, not red though I hope?

I have not drank since last Sunday night so will be just beginning of 10 days on my medical day as is in the morning at 11am.

I also read that our %CDT are lower in the mornings, but not sure if that is true maybe your biologist could help there?




Still happy to hear from others too!
 
The best aproach is tell the doc wat he wants to hear. They ask how many times a year u drink 6 units or more in a session. You dont want to be saying 100+ (every friday,sat) thats plain stuipdy if u want ur licence back.
 
Thanks well I regularly drink at weekends only Friday - Sunday nights, and would average 8 - 10 units Fri and Sat, Sun being fewer probably around 5 - 6 - so total for the weekend would be around 21 - 26, sometimes odd ones at nearer 30.

So is one session that whole weekend baring in mind I don't drink in the daytimes, or is it just one night?

Also do you think that will go down well with the doc? lol
 
One session is just 1 night so every fri,sat for a year is 104 times a year u drink more than 6 units , NOT a good idea to tell the doc lol. I said 2ce a year xmas and new year and answerd no to ALL his questions and i sailed thru it without them contacting my own gp
 
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