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Can cold and cough medicine like Nyquil affect my ignition interlock device?
Whether you're fighting a case of Covid-19, the flu, or just a cold, you'll probably use cold and cough medicine or cough drops at some point. So can cold and cough medicine affect your interlock device?
Alcohol is alcohol
Our technology is very impressive. But alcohol is alcohol. If your alcohol level exceeds the allowed level, the vehicle will not start regardless of where the alcohol came from. Sometimes the source of the alcohol is simply the use of products that contain high levels of alcohol such as some cold and cough medicines.
How can I avoid a false positive?
Well, there really isn't such a thing as a "false" positive. Technically, the alcohol is there if it's being picked up by your interlock device. But we get what you mean by false positive. Sometimes a failed test is because of mouth contaminants, meaning the positive is a result of the alcohol being on your breath (not in your blood like when you drink large amounts of alcoholic beverages). We do our best to educate our interlock customers about how these things can affect the interlock device test results. Sometimes, though, drivers do forget or they simply don’t realize something has alcohol in it. If you blow a failing breath sample and you believe it’s due to a contaminant, it’s important to rinse your mouth with water and then submit another breath sample after a few minutes. If your false positive is due to a contaminant but you have a passing test registered just a few minutes later, your monitoring authority is more likely to be understanding. Remember that you will be held responsible for any reading, no matter the source, so try to remember that water rinse before the initial blowing.
Remember to drive safe! Some cough medicine can affect your ability to drive due to dizziness and/or drowsiness.
Read the label and warning signs on your medicine bottle before driving whether you have an ignition interlock device or not.
Let’s separate drinking from driving!
So to recap, yes, there is a small chance medicine could affect your device. But as long as you do what you're supposed to do... drive sober, rinse your mouth after swallowing anything that may contain even a small amount of alcohol, basically just follow the simple interlock guidelines... you shouldn't have any problems.
Sober driving is the goal. Get where you’re going safely and without a DUI. Contact Smart Start of Alabama online or by phone to see how we can help in your safe driving efforts.
