Have you ever been mistaken as being drunk or on drugs?

[Sherman Paskett]

I haven’t, but I have read reports from others who have been stopped for a DUI. The particular case that I read on another forum was reported by a woman who had been given a DUI because she was drifting across the lane lines. She went to court and the judge dismissed the case when she told him she had PD, which I found interesting. The judge must have had some significant awareness of PD or I would have expected her driver’s license to be permanently suspended. Or maybe the judge was just a compassionate person. The DUI was inappropriate, but if I were not able to stay centered in my lane I would not want to be driving. Sometimes that means when the meds are off I don’t drive and that can mean I am stranded wherever I am until the next dose kicks in.

Recently, though, I took my midday dose an hour early due to driving across a timezone and my smart clock in the car advanced an hour which I forgot to compensate for. The dyskinesia, which was already problematic, was so intense for a couple of hours that I was staggering all over the place. I just had to sit down and wait for the overdoes to wear off.

[William]

I have not (to my knowledge) but when I started having balance issues I went to my boss and disclosed my condition. I would occasionally bump into door jambs and such and if I got reported I wanted him to know. One night I was stopped in a drunk driving roadblock and even though I had not been drinking I realized that I probably wouldn’t pass a sobriety field test. I did not have to take one thankfully but I asked my neirologist for a letter which I now keep in my glove compartment. If they would have asked me to take the test I would have asked to skip it and take a breath test. I have not experienced any difficulties driving due to PD thankfully.

[Ally]

Hi William, thanks for sharing your experience. Having a letter in your glove box, just in case, is an excellent idea.