CDT Test (Carbohydrate Deficient Transferrin)

Convicted Driver Insurance
Hi
Please can I have some advise how long would you not drink for before your medical test??
well I havent had a drink for over 2 years and i had my medical back in september and im still waiting.

The safest answer is to just stop drinking until you have it back. Then make sensible choices going forward.

There are no hard and fast rules, so many factors come into play , age, sex, BMI, how much you drink etc etc- However two-three months of no drinking should give you a perfectly normal CDT result.

Its not what anybody wants to hear but , how badly do you want to drive again.

Like i say i stopped drinking in Dec 2019 and my ban ended in the summer and im still waiting for my licence...

Take care and good luck
 
I just received the results of my CDT score from my Subject Access Request to the DVLA on the 21st November 2021. It took almost exactly 4 weeks.

My Medichecks result was 0.20% and the DVLA result was 0.30%, which is fairly similiar.

Details were;

Date Sampled: 30/09/2021
Date Received: 02/10/2021
Date Reviewed: 05/10/2021
Date Reported: 05/10/2021

It then took the DVLA until the 16th of November to write to my GP for additional information.

As of last week my GP still hadn't returned the form to the DVLA.
any word from your GP......... have they actually received the paperwork.
 
any word from your GP......... have they actually received the paperwork.
No, nothing yet. I went to see my GP about some other health issue a few days ago and had some blood taken, plus I asked for an LFT. I have a follow-up consultation next Wednesday but assuming the LFT matches the private one I had in July, then I hope they will write back to the DVLA and include the positive result.
 
Quick update. MY GP called me today as he didn't want me worrying about the blood test results over Christmas (nice of him.) He said that everything including the LFT was normal but that I had signs of anemia. I'm male and not bleeding anywhere, so it will be interesting to see where we go with this. If they haven't replied to the DVLA yet then hopefully they will include the LFT result which combined with a CDT of 0.30% should speed up the re-issue of my licence. Well, one can only hope.
 
Quick update. MY GP called me today as he didn't want me worrying about the blood test results over Christmas (nice of him.) He said that everything including the LFT was normal but that I had signs of anemia. I'm male and not bleeding anywhere, so it will be interesting to see where we go with this. If they haven't replied to the DVLA yet then hopefully they will include the LFT result which combined with a CDT of 0.30% should speed up the re-issue of my licence. Well, one can only hope.
Brilliant Luna, and I think it just shows, yet again, the value of building a good relationship with your GP. It may not automatically get us anywhere faster, but at least we know that they will be more likely to complete forms as soon as they are able, and also have the confidence to testify that we are doing what we say we are. Good Luck anyway, fingers crossed x
 
Brilliant Luna, and I think it just shows, yet again, the value of building a good relationship with your GP. It may not automatically get us anywhere faster, but at least we know that they will be more likely to complete forms as soon as they are able, and also have the confidence to testify that we are doing what we say we are. Good Luck anyway, fingers crossed x
Surprisingly enough this is a new GP and was the first time I had met him. It is a large practice with about 6 GP's so you don't always get to see the same one each time, but I am hoping if the report has not yet been sent then the positive LFT will speed things up. The rest will simply be factual and I did speak with the practice on the phone early December (different GP,) and detailed that I had not drank for two and half years and mentioned the private tests that I had. The GP was quite knowledgeable about CDT's as well.
 
Surprisingly enough this is a new GP and was the first time I had met him. It is a large practice with about 6 GP's so you don't always get to see the same one each time, but I am hoping if the report has not yet been sent then the positive LFT will speed things up. The rest will simply be factual and I did speak with the practice on the phone early December (different GP,) and detailed that I had not drank for two and half years and mentioned the private tests that I had. The GP was quite knowledgeable about CDT's as well.
That’s great. Sometimes GPs have a personal understanding of alcohol issues, from either their own experience, or that of a family member or close friend. A GP who understands about cdt tests often have that perspective
 
Would drinking 4 cans of carling and a bottle of corona (9.5 units altogether) over a period of 12 hours be classed as a binge session? And would it raise my cdt levels after 2 weeks of abstinence?
 
Hi guys I’ve got my license few days back. I did my medical and I wasn’t drinking any alcohol for a 1 month, before that month I was on holidays and consumed maybe 15 beers a day for 3 days 😁 , I am not heavy drinker and never drank too much sometimes on weekends. My cdt was 0.6%
 
Hi Chris as promised I will update you on my case. Similar to the previous I got my license back on Monday, I didn't drink for 37 days before my Medical and my CDT was 1%. Quite a big drinker before this. So it seems the best way is sober for a number of days and you will go through - they didn't write to my GP and I was issued a 5 year license. Good luck everyone and thank you.
I’ve not booked it yet will you let me know how you get on please did you drink much before you stopped ?
 
Hi Chris as promised I will update you on my case. Similar to the previous I got my license back on Monday, I didn't drink for 37 days before my Medical and my CDT was 1%. Quite a big drinker before this. So it seems the best way is sober for a number of days and you will go through - they didn't write to my GP and I was issued a 5 year license. Good luck everyone and thank you.
my case was i used to be a very heavy drinker (almost a Litre of vodka a day). I have abstained for nearly 75 days and my CDT was 0.9%. DVLA didn't write to my GP and have been issued with 10 year license. PS this was in 2018 pre-covid.
 
Can I ask what was your breath reading and how long were you banned for?
my case was i used to be a very heavy drinker (almost a Litre of vodka a day). I have abstained for nearly 75 days and my CDT was 0.9%. DVLA didn't write to my GP and have been issued with 10 year license. PS this was in 2018 pre-covid
 
Got some decent news, after months like may. The first set of bloods had to be voided due to the doctor not writing on the bottle properly, then I had to go and do the full thing again in December. Last time I stayed off the drink for 36 days. This time round I only stayed off it for 10 days as I had so much going on with birthdays engagements. So wasn’t holding out any luck, called the medical team yesterday as I got a letter to asking me for more medical information. Which I filled out and sent back on Wednesday recorded deiverly. The medical team advised if I had failed the blood test, they would not bother asking for more information as it’s a waste of there time and my time, so fingers crossed it just goes to my Gp and hopefully by December I’ll have my lll have license back lol xx
 
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Got some decent news, after months like may. The first set of bloods had to be voided due to the doctor not writing on the bottle properly, then I had to go and do the full thing again in December. Last time I stayed off the drink for 36 days. This time round I only stayed off it for 10 days as I had so much going on with birthdays engagements. So wasn’t holding out any luck, called the medical team yesterday as I got a letter to asking me for more medical information. Which I filled out and sent back on Wednesday recorded deiverly. The medical team advised if I had failed the blood test, they would not bother asking for more information as it’s a waste of there time and my time, so fingers crossed it just goes to my Gp and hopefully by December I’ll have my lll have license back lol xx
Craig I think you need to sit down and work out how many units per week you 'normally' drink. Your answer implies that you found it difficult to avoid alcohol, so don;t be surprised if you 'accidentally' drive while over the limit again. In Scotland, you can do this after just 2 pints of beer, a little more in the rest of the UK.

Also which December are you planning on to get your licence back?
 
Craig I think you need to sit down and work out how many units per week you 'normally' drink. Your answer implies that you found it difficult to avoid alcohol, so don;t be surprised if you 'accidentally' drive while over the limit again. In Scotland, you can do this after just 2 pints of beer, a little more in the rest of the UK.

Also which December are you planning on to get your licence back?
Luna, my alcohol intake is jst normal, am not an over excessive drinker, my ban was in 2017 to 2018. I have only recently wanted my licence back to due to work. The last time I sustained from drinking for 36 days as I wasn’t sure of the full process. When my bloods came back been voided. I had so much going on with my engagement party my wedding, and the only day I could get was the second week in December and I knew I would be ok. So i didn’t touch a drink for ten days.
also when I say December i mean the way all the backlogs I prob won’t get it back. Was been funny.
Xx
 
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