SKILLS RELATED TO DRIVING AFTER INTRAVENOUS DIAZEPAM, FLUNITRAZEPAM OR DROPERIDOL

Abstract

Skills related to driving and the ability to discriminate the fusion of flickering light were measured double-blind in 62 healthy volunteer students before and 4, 6, 8 and 10 hours after intravenous injection of diazepam (0.3 mg/kg), flunitrazepam (0.03 mg/kg) or droperidol (5 mg), alone or in combination with pethidine (1 mg/kg) or fentanyl (0.2 mg). The dose of diazepam and flunitrazepam was halved in those subjects given pethidine but the dose of droperidol was the same with and without fentanyl. Impairment by droperidol in almost all tests remained up to 10 hours after injection. Droperidol proved more deleterious than the benzodiazepines. Flunitrazepam impaired flicker fusion discrimination and co-ordination for up to 10 hours. Diazepam impaired flicker fusion discrimination and co-ordination for up to 6 hours. The doses of narcotic analgesics used here did not enhance the effect of other drugs on performance in the tests used. It is concluded that patients should not drive or operate machinery for 10 hours after i.v. injection of diazepam and 24 hours after flunitrazepam and droperidol.