Medical Advice

[ap123]

Hi Everyone

I am new to posting but have read many threads regarding drink driving on here.
I am due my license back at the end of February 2018. When are the likely to contact me regarding a medical, does anyone know?

Also, I am thinking about having a private test done first via Medichecks.? Anyone recommend them?

I am an anxious person and I really am banking on having my license returned. Is the 12 weeks of abstinence absolutely necessary? I've no idea how the whole thing works and obviously want to pass, abstinence isn't an issue. What I am worried about is that I've recently gone through a sudden bereavement (my mum), followed by another personal matter which led me to drink more than I usually would. Yes its not the answer but at the time it was (please no bashing).

That aside, I probably drink 2 bottles of wine per week (mainly over the weekend), 1 bottle Friday and 1 bottle Saturday, I appreciate this may sound a lot to some but it is what it is.

Is this going to cause issues? I had routine bloods done last year and again this year as I was feeling rather run down and thought it might be iron or thyroid related (thankfully neither).

I don't take any medication but due to a recent operation i have been using paracetamol and ibuprofen with codeine for a few days, does this cause damage to the liver?

Can anyone share some useful advice please? Should I stay away from alcohol completely now or just cut down on what I usually have? I don't drink spirits or lager and don't really go out to be honest but I do like the occasional glass/s of wine when I've been to work all week but obviously don't want to put anything at risk.

 

[price1367]

DVLA do not always contact you, you have to submit an application form to apply for your licence back. DVLA will either send you an application form 3 months before you are due to get the licence back, or failing that, go to the Post Office and ask for a D1 form and submit that.
It is not necessary to stop drinking before your test but advisable to drink only 14-20 units per week for a few weeks before the medical.
Paracetamol and Ibuprofen can have an effect on yo7r liver, but only if taken for a long time, short doses are not a problem.
You can have a Medichecks test done, but if what you have described is accurate then I would not bother, put the £80 fee they charge towards the £96 odd that you have to pay for the DVLA medical.
It isn’t the strength of the alcohol that you drink that can be a problem, rather the number of units that you consume. 2 bottles of wine a week is 18-21 units, which is the same as about 2/3rds of a bottle of whisky.

 

[ap123]

Price1367, Thank you for the helpful advice.
I think the problem is reading on here there is a lot of conflicting advice and stories. Some people saying abstain completely for 3 months, is that completely necessary? I mean I can cut drinking out of my life for 3 months if it’s what will get me my license back, but ultimately if I am allowed to continue having a drink socially then I would like to.
So if I am due my license back end of Feb / beginning of March next year, what timescales am I looking at. Do I need to be completing the DVLA medical now, or do I require sending off a D1 form first and then DVLA will contact me regarding a medical? – when am I likely going to be taking my medical?
I have abstained most of October anyway but did have a binge late last week. If I abstain again, how long will it take roughly to be out of my system or get my levels back to normal?

 

[miserable]

I had a medichecks cdt done in May. I’m not a heavy drinker but it certainly helped put my mind at ease (although on the lead up to the medical I was quite anxious again!) I did not abstain for the test and the results were 0.9% , I drink anywhere between 10-20 units a week depending on what it is I’m drinking. Drinking wine bumps my units up so I tend not to drink it that much. Crazy that I can drink a bottle of wine which is ten units but if I drink gin and tonic I’d struggle to drink ten of those so tend to stick to that.
As price said the DVLA should send you out a d1 three months before you are due back on the road but I would personally just get one and post it off rather than wait.
I had my medical last week, still waiting for results. I had hoped to abstain for a month.....but with the appointments offered I had 19 days alcohol free under my belt before my blood test.

Good luck ?

 

[Forum Moderator]

Do I need to be completing the DVLA medical now, or do I require sending off a D1 form first and then DVLA will contact me regarding a medical? – when am I likely going to be taking my medical?

You can send off your D1 application up to 90 days before your driving disqualification is due to end (the sooner the better within this timeframe). Once the DVLA have received and processed your application they will inform you that you need to book a medical with a DVLA appointed doctor, they will provide you with contact details of the doctor and you need to contact the doctor and arrange to take the medical.

The available dates will differ from doctor to doctor. Once you have taken the medical, the results are then sent to the DVLA who make the decision whether or not to issue you a driving licence. The DVLA may also contact your GP for further information.

 

[Digby]

I have some relevant info, you must be an HRO to have a medical. A word of caution, do not tick the boxes about having any issues with alcohol/drugs etc on application DR1, they send you a long form back to answer. Leave it up to yr Doc to fill in that sort of stuff, I have fallen foul of the DVLA by admitting to having a past problem with alcohol. They have now revoked my licence, until I have been abstinent for a total of 1 year. I hve already done 6.5 months. I have completed a drink drive rehab course. The revocation of my license will be longer than my original ban (2years) reduced to 18mth with DDR course. I never got as near as a medical, they have just written me off until May 2018. Despite my efforts to do everything right!

 

[ap123]

I had a medichecks cdt done in May. I’m not a heavy drinker but it certainly helped put my mind at ease (although on the lead up to the medical I was quite anxious again!) I did not abstain for the test and the results were 0.9% , I drink anywhere between 10-20 units a week depending on what it is I’m drinking. Drinking wine bumps my units up so I tend not to drink it that much. Crazy that I can drink a bottle of wine which is ten units but if I drink gin and tonic I’d struggle to drink ten of those so tend to stick to that.
As price said the DVLA should send you out a d1 three months before you are due back on the road but I would personally just get one and post it off rather than wait.
I had my medical last week, still waiting for results. I had hoped to abstain for a month.....but with the appointments offered I had 19 days alcohol free under my belt before my blood test.

Good luck ?

Thanks for that. So I guess end of next month I can send off a D1 form.
In terms of drinking, its silly how wine has so many units, I couldn't handle 10 drinks of spirits and not really a lager drinker. In terms of my recent binge does anyone have any idea how long it will take for my levels to return to normal after this please? There is no point in me paying for a Medichecks if its going to show up, i'd rather wait. And yes, whilst i'd rather not pay a Medichecks i'm the type of person will worry constantly for the next few months so for my own peace of mind the money is worth it.
I don't intend to touch any alcohol now until I have the test done, I am just worried it might not be enough. People don't know what their levels are to start with so how does anyone know, its a guessing game really?

 

[miserable]

I had a medichecks year done without abstaining so I could see what my normal levels were.

Having read most of the threads on here and some other online info the length of abstinence varies. One poster seemed adamant that no less than 3 months was required but the general consensus seems to be about a month. Just bear in mind that this test is to look for alcohol dependence so I’d think you’d have to be drinking a helluva lot to get a score of over 3% which would mean instant refusal. Some info I have read indicates to fail a cdt test you need to be drinking 80g of alcohol a day, which equates to 8 gins! It’s all speculation though, that’s what I struggle with most! Hopefully my results will come through soon and I can let you know how I got on

 

[ap123]

I had a medichecks year done without abstaining so I could see what my normal levels were.

Having read most of the threads on here and some other online info the length of abstinence varies. One poster seemed adamant that no less than 3 months was required but the general consensus seems to be about a month. Just bear in mind that this test is to look for alcohol dependence so I’d think you’d have to be drinking a helluva lot to get a score of over 3% which would mean instant refusal. Some info I have read indicates to fail a cdt test you need to be drinking 80g of alcohol a day, which equates to 8 gins! It’s all speculation though, that’s what I struggle with most! Hopefully my results will come through soon and I can let you know how I got on

Thank you. So if I can apply for my license end of Nov, am I best abstaining now and hoping I get a medical in December at some point, or abstaining and attending my couple of work doos in December then abstaining throughout January and arranging my medical for February? Due my license 29th Feb.

Thanks

 

[price1367]

I would go for the earliest medical that you can. There can be a delay of several weeks if DVLA have to send an enquiry to your GP, so if you go for a February medical then i5 could be March before you get your licence back.
you would LIKE to have a “few drinks” at your works doos, you NEED your licence back. Which is more important to you?

 

[ap123]

I would go for the earliest medical that you can. There can be a delay of several weeks if DVLA have to send an enquiry to your GP, so if you go for a February medical then i5 could be March before you get your licence back.
you would LIKE to have a “few drinks” at your works doos, you NEED your licence back. Which is more important to you?

Thank you Price1367. Absolutely nothing is more important than having my license back. This has been the hardest time in my life. To be honest not even that fussed for a works doo, was just asking the question really. If my license is due to be returned end of Feb/beginning of March - when should I send off the DR1 form, what is the earliest I can send it and when will the earliest i can sit a medical be? I would of course rather have it done sooner than later, then its done and I can look forward to receiving the license back. would be an awesome start to the new year to know that my license is coming soon

With the medical, am I right in that the CDT score is the sole test now along with the questionnaire and medical GP notes?

 

[price1367]

You can apply for your licence back 3 months before your ban is due to end, so you could send the application in, say, 2 days early to allow for post time. (Either with a form that DVLA send you or get a D1 form from the Post Office) send it to DVLA, Swansea SA99 1TU as that is the section that deal with HRO medical.
You then have to wait for them to notify you of a local doctor who will do the medical on their behalf. This can take about 10 days. Phone ASAP to make an appointment - some only do DVLA medical on one or 2 days a week.
The medical depends on: the medical questionnaire that you are asked to complete, the medical examination, and the Blood test that is checked for your CDT reading. 3% or above will be a fail, 2.3 to 2.9% is a grey area where they will write to your GP and below that is normally a pass, but they do sometimes write to your doctor anyway for his / her opinion.
If you have not heard from DVLA after 8 or 9 days, ring them and check on what the situatiion is. If they say they have written to your doctor, get in touch and ask the doctor to complete the form and return it ASAP.
There can be quite a few delays built in to this process, make sure that none of them are your fault!