Drug Effects on Driving Performance
Authors: Thomas H. Lee
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2000)

Letters17 October 2000Drug Effects on Driving PerformanceThomas H. Lee, MD, Jessica Dudley, MD, and Harold J. Demonaco, MSThomas H. Lee, MDBrigham and Women's Hospital; Boston, MA 02115 (Lee, Dudley)Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston, MA 02114 (Demonaco)Search for more papers by this author, Jessica Dudley, MDBrigham and Women's Hospital; Boston, MA 02115 (Lee, Dudley)Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston, MA 02114 (Demonaco)Search for more papers by this author, and Harold J. Demonaco, MSBrigham and Women's Hospital; Boston, MA 02115 (Lee, Dudley)Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston, MA 02114 (Demonaco)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-133-8-200010170-00022 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Weiler and colleagues' study suggesting that older “sedating” antihistamines should not be used in patients who drive (1) received wide attention in the lay press. We were disappointed that this article was not more critically assessed by its reviewers or the editorialists (2). We believe there to be fundamental flaws in the study design.A basic principle of comparative studies of this type is that of equipotency. To evaluate side effect profiles fairly, the doses used in comparative trials must be clinically equivalent by some measurement. Are the doses of diphenhydramine and fexofenadine used in this study ...References1. Weiler JM, Bloomfield JR, Woodworth GG, Grant AR, Layton TA, Brown TL, et al . Effects of fexofenadine, diphenhydramine, and alcohol on driving performance. A randomized, placebo-controlled trial in the Iowa Driving Simulator. Ann Intern Med. 2000;132:354-63. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Hennessy S, Strom BL. Nonsedating antihistamines should be preferred over sedating antihistamines in patients who drive [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 2000;132:405-7. LinkGoogle Scholar3. Carruthers SG, Shoeman DW, Hignite CE, Azarnoff DL. Correlation between plasma diphenhydramine level and sedative and antihistamine effects. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1978;23:375-82. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Scavone JM, Greenblatt DJ, Harmatz JS, Engelhardt N, Shader RI. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of diphenhydramine 25 mg in young and elderly volunteers. J Clin Pharmacol. 1998;38:603-9. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Witek TJ, Canestrari DA, Miller RD, Yang JY, Riker DK. Characterization of daytime sleepiness and psychomotor performance following H1 receptor antagonists. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 1995;74:419-26. MedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Brigham and Women's Hospital; Boston, MA 02115 (Lee, Dudley)Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston, MA 02114 (Demonaco) PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoNonsedating Antihistamines Should Be Preferred over Sedating Antihistamines in Patients Who Drive Sean Hennessy and Brian L. Strom Effects of Fexofenadine, Diphenhydramine, and Alcohol on Driving Performance John M. Weiler , John R. Bloomfield , George G. Woodworth , Angela R. Grant , Teresa A. Layton , Timothy L. Brown , David R. McKenzie , Thomas W. Baker , and Ginger S. Watson Drug Effects on Driving Performance James T. Angello and Howard M. Druce Drug Effects on Driving Performance John M. Weiler , George Woodworth , and Ginger Watson Drug Effects on Driving Performance Dick de Waard and Karel A. Brookhuis Metrics Cited ByElectrophysiological and performance variations following driving events involving an increase in mental workloadThe diagnosis and management of acute and chronic urticaria: 2014 updateDrug driving in Scotland: prevalence and correlates amongst drug users entering treatmentPerformance impairment revisitedOf injuries and antihistamines and dosingCurrent Awareness 17 October 2000Volume 133, Issue 8Page: 656-657KeywordsAntihistaminesDrugsEvidence based medicineMemoryMotor vehicle crashesPharmacologySedationSedatives ePublished: 17 October 2000 Issue Published: 17 October 2000 CopyrightCopyright © 2000 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...