I Drive A School Bus. Can I Take Tylenol 3?

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My dentist prescribed Tramadol hcl 50mg, Ibuprofen 800 mg and Tylenol for tooth pain. I am concerned about taking all three of them at once because I drive a school bus. Safety is my concern for kids as well as my own.

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1

Yes & No--you can take/do anything as long as "nothing goes wrong" 100% if you have an accident there will be a blood drawn even if it is absolutely not even your fault --so read your employment manual --you may be totally legally prohibitted.

Regardless, see how it effects you BEFORE your maiden vouyage on meds.

Take the tramadol during the day-- it's so low dose I can't imagine you having a problem !

Codeine makes a person sleepy -- I would not take that during the day while driving if you've not taken medication before save that one for bedtime.

I am on pain management and despite being tolerant coding will still make me tired and offers little in the relief of my pain .

Also, cumulative doses may increase/snowball the side effects of sleepiness w the tyl3

Stick to tram in the daytime.
Drink caffenine.
Try to take your dose 2 or more hours before you drive. You will probably feel your med "hit" you 20-40 mins after taking it & any intense side effects will calm 2-3 hours later leaving you w/ relief but "safer" to drive.

Above all things keep your passengers safe & "know" if something happens, even not your fault, you will be skewered by parents, cops etc if you are even taking a med legally.

Just my advice and above all things be safe!!

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2

Hi Larry. To be honest I'm surprised that they prescribed you 3 different types of pain medications instead of just one of them. I would certainly avoid taking all at once since there can be interactions. The Tramadol and Tylenol 3 (containing Codeine) carry the risk of causing drowsiness, so operating a school bus while being on either of those may pose a risk. The Ibuprofen is generally better for avoiding drowsiness, but 800 mg is the equivalent to taking 4 over the counter Advil, and at that dose you may feel drowsy as well. What I would recommend is calling the dentist back and telling them you are concerned that taking either of the meds they prescribed you may impair your ability to drive the bus. Ask if you can get away with taking 2 Advil or maybe even just extra strength Tylenol (with only Acetaminophen in it, no codeine). I hope this helps and wish you the best! Please let me know how it goes for you or if you have any other questions or comments!

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3

Ps-- take the motrin -- every dose --it really works & no side effects /non narcotic do no legal ramifications

Be safe

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4

NO WAY!!! If you take anything that can impair you then NO WAY don't drive a bus that could harm or kill anyone.... Please call in and have a sub drive your bus until you stop taking any medication... Please.

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5

Motrin does not cause drowsiness & prescription dose is 600-800mg is totally normal for prescription dose & likely the Only med you will need after the first or second day. And stand by my advice because i wanted to really answer your question as judgment-free as possible (no, i am not throwing stones at other posters/agree w all posts) and absolutely i & millions of americans including emts, firefighters you name it function/drive on legally prescribed meds for chronic condiotions, i will modify my answer since another poster --another bus operator--said "subs" are readily available TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SUBSTITE DRIVER!!! And just saw a bus accident killing a pricipal today on the news! So it could be you, it could happen to anyone, so i modify my answer to include my prior "info" but agree w the last poster to use a sub driver--i did not know that was an option! Also, i will add that "opiate naive" people feel the effects powerfully (& junkies abuse drugs) and both groups are the ones that give pain management people who need the medication, use it appropriately, and are Tolerant (no highs/no fuctioning impairment) a bad name! I could never live w/ myself if i thought perhaps you "relied" on my advice (not that you should rely upon anyones!!! Online) & a child was hurt! So upon seeing that story & reading that a substitute IS AN OPTION then there is no reason to chance anything. Also, i think i foolishly projected how zero effect those meds have on me but recognize, in retrospect, that in an opiate naive patient (no meds, no tolerance which diminishes both effects & side effects) many people find tyl 3 "strong" especially in sleepiness & tramadol isnt worth the side effects even now motrin 600mg 2 times per day helps my pain because it reduces inflammation & swelling.
So use the substitute driver, also, no matter what dental procedure the pain is only going to be bad the day of the procedure & next day so call a substitute driver & take motrin --no side effects but stomach irritation in most people & zero drowsiness even at 800mg 3times per day --that was incorrect by the other poster that it causes drowsiness--not that kind of medication at all!
Sorry for the length but agsin after seeing the accident on the news & the other post that sub is an option & you have NO exper w med it is just Not worth gambling especially with children.

Be safe
Call in sub driver

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6

No stones being thrown my dear, I was just replying to a question asked.. So if your not sure about taking anything then just be safe and call in a sub.. That's why they give us sick days..
GOD BLESS You!!!!

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7

larry, you never know how a drug is going to affect you until you take it. Depending on how good your students are, you may or may not want to drink caffeine. Caffeine can make you nervous and jittery. Even if a medication doesn't affect your ability to drive, if you have an accident, even if it isn't your fault if you test positive for a drug that "may" affect your ability to drive, you could lose your job. You need to talk to your Supervisor and/or the head of the Transportation Dept before driving the bus if you're going to take these meds. If you're going to be taking these meds for more than a day or two, you can test positive for them, even if you haven't taken a dose that day.

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