Are you entitled to drive a vehicle after any drug available without a prescription?

The photo shows scattered tablets and capsules. Not every medicine available without a prescription allows you to drive afterwards - some of them contain substances that act similarly to alcohol, and after taking them, driving is prohibited. The answer is: no.

The Road Traffic Act prohibits a person from driving a vehicle when intoxicated, after drinking alcohol or after taking a substance that acts similarly to alcohol; the list of such substances includes, among others, opioids (for example codeine contained in some cough syrups) and benzodiazepines, and many other non-prescription medicines - for colds, allergies or travel sickness - reduce your ability to drive and have a warning about this in the leaflet. The fact that a medicine is available in every pharmacy or at a petrol station does not mean that it is safe behind the wheel - such medicines can cause drowsiness, slower reactions and vision problems. Before taking a medicine, you read the leaflet: if it contains a warning about its effect on the ability to drive vehicles, you do not get behind the wheel, and if in doubt, you ask a pharmacist. A roadside check may also include a test for such substances.

Legal basis: Art. 45 para. 1 point 1 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym); the Regulation of the Minister of Health on the list of substances acting similarly to alcohol; Art. 87 § 1 of the Code of Petty Offences