Your doctor prescribed the medication. The pharmacy filled it legally. You took it exactly as directed. And now you’re facing DUI charges because an officer decided the medicine that helps you function caused you to drive impaired.
Prescription drug DUI represents one of the cruelest contradictions in Washington law. The same medications that allow people to manage chronic pain, control anxiety, or sleep through the night can trigger criminal prosecution if an officer believes—often based on little more than subjective observation—that the drug affected your driving. There’s no legal threshold like alcohol’s 0.08% or cannabis’s 5 ng/mL. The entire case rests on whether the prosecution can convince a jury you were “impaired” while taking medication your doctor told you was safe.
The injustice cuts deeper when you consider who faces these charges. Patients managing legitimate medical conditions. People following their physicians’ instructions. Individuals who would suffer without their prescribed treatment. These aren’t reckless drug users—they’re patients caught in a legal system that criminalizes the medications they need.
Eastside DUI has defended prescription drug DUI cases throughout King County for 15 years. Our attorneys—Roberto Yranela, Matthew Skau, and Robin Tu—understand that these cases require defense strategies fundamentally different from alcohol or recreational drug prosecutions. A Bellevue, WA DUI lawyer from our firm can challenge the prosecution’s impairment claims and protect you from conviction for taking your legally prescribed medicine.
Contact us for a free consultation.
Why Choose Eastside DUI For Prescription Drug DUI Defense In Bellevue, WA?
We Defend Patients, Not Just Cases
Prescription drug DUI defendants aren’t typical criminal defendants. They’re often people who’ve never been in trouble before—patients managing real medical conditions with medications their doctors prescribed. The prosecutions feel arbitrary, even cruel. You followed the rules. You trusted your physician. And now you’re treated like a criminal.
A Bellevue prescription drug DUI attorney who recognizes this reality approaches your case with appropriate sensitivity while mounting aggressive defense. We understand that beyond the legal stakes, there’s often shame and confusion about how following medical advice led to criminal charges.
Roberto Yranela has defended patients facing prescription drug DUI charges since 2013. He’s represented people taking opioids for chronic pain, benzodiazepines for anxiety disorders, sleep medications for insomnia, and dozens of other legitimately prescribed substances. His undergraduate degrees from the University of Washington and J.D. from Valparaiso University School of Law prepared him to handle cases requiring both scientific understanding and human empathy.
Recognized DUI Defense Track Record
Super Lawyers named Roberto Yranela to the Top 40 Under 40 for DUI defense. Avvo granted him Client’s Choice recognition. The National Trial Lawyers included him in their Top 40 Under 40. When you need a DUI attorney in Bellevue who combines technical legal skill with genuine understanding of what prescription drug defendants experience, our credentials reflect that combination.
No Per Se Threshold Means the Prosecution Must Prove More
Unlike alcohol or cannabis DUI, prescription drug cases have no automatic impairment level. The prosecution can’t point to a number and claim it proves guilt. They must demonstrate actual impairment through evidence that’s almost entirely subjective—and subjective evidence is vulnerable to challenge.
What Our Clients Say
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I received excellent service from Roberto Yranela & Associates! They provided me with great care, and I had a very positive outcome in my case. He provided great customer service, patience, and thoroughness throughout the whole process. I recommend his services to anyone.” – Brook Geleta
Types Of Prescription Drug DUI Cases We Handle In Bellevue
Prescription drug prosecutions vary based on the medication involved and the evidence prosecutors rely upon. Our DUI defense attorneys handle every category.
- Opioid pain medication cases. Patients prescribed hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, or other opioids for chronic pain conditions face frequent prosecution. A Bellevue DUI lawyer presents evidence of therapeutic use, tolerance development, and the distinction between having opioids in your system and being impaired by them.
- Benzodiazepine cases. Anti-anxiety medications like Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, and Ativan appear commonly in prescription drug DUI charges. These medications remain detectable long after any sedating effects subside, creating prosecution theories based on presence rather than impairment.
- Sleep medication cases. Ambien, Lunesta, and similar sleep aids have generated significant DUI litigation nationwide. The medications’ effects are supposed to last through the night—but prosecutors sometimes claim residual impairment the following morning. Challenging breathalyzer results doesn’t apply to these cases, but challenging the impairment timeline does.
- Muscle relaxant cases. Medications like Soma, Flexeril, and Baclofen prescribed for back injuries, muscle spasms, or neurological conditions can trigger DUI charges despite legitimate therapeutic use.
- Combination medication cases. Many patients take multiple prescriptions. The prosecution may argue that the combination produced impairment neither drug would cause alone. We challenge whether any actual evidence supports the synergy theory prosecutors propose.
- Prescription drug with alcohol cases. When blood tests show both prescription medication and alcohol, prosecutors often claim the combination created impairment even when neither substance alone would. Knowing your rights after arrest helps you understand what evidence the prosecution will attempt to use against you.
Washington Legal Requirements For Prescription Drug DUI
Washington law permits DUI prosecution based on prescription medication, but the legal framework differs significantly from alcohol or cannabis cases. Understanding these requirements reveals the prosecution’s burden—and its limitations.
Under RCW 46.61.502, a person commits DUI if they drive while “under the influence of or affected by” any drug. Unlike alcohol (0.08% BAC) or cannabis (5 ng/mL THC), there’s no per se limit for prescription medications. The prosecution must prove actual impairment—that the drug affected your ability to drive safely.
Having a valid prescription provides no automatic defense. The statute explicitly states that being entitled to use a drug doesn’t constitute a defense if the drug impaired your driving. However, legal prescription status influences how juries perceive the case and supports arguments about therapeutic use, tolerance, and appropriate medical supervision.
The Washington State Patrol trains Drug Recognition Experts who evaluate suspected drug impairment. The DRE protocol attempts to identify drug categories through a twelve-step evaluation including vital signs, eye examinations, muscle tone assessment, and divided attention testing. A DUI lawyer in Bellevue challenges both the DRE evaluation’s validity and its application to your specific medication.
Blood testing confirms drug presence but cannot establish impairment. Unlike alcohol, where BAC correlates reasonably well with impairment, most prescription drugs lack established impairment thresholds. Detecting therapeutic levels of medication in your blood doesn’t prove those levels affected your driving. A Bellevue DUI attorney exploits this evidentiary gap aggressively.
Penalties for prescription drug DUI follow RCW 46.61.5055, mirroring alcohol DUI consequences. The Washington Department of Licensing imposes administrative suspension independently from the criminal case, though the grounds for administrative action differ in prescription drug cases.
Defending Prescription Drug DUI Charges In Bellevue
A Bellevue prescription drug DUI lawyer builds defense around the prosecution’s evidentiary weaknesses and your legitimate medical treatment:
- Establishing therapeutic use and tolerance. Patients taking medications chronically develop tolerance. The dose that would sedate a new user produces no impairment in someone who’s taken the medication for months or years. Medical records documenting your prescription history, dosage stability, and functional capacity support the argument that therapeutic levels didn’t impair your driving. Our drunk driving defense team works with medical experts who can explain tolerance development to juries.
- Challenging the DRE evaluation. Drug Recognition Expert protocols weren’t designed for patients on therapeutic medications. The evaluations assume impairment and interpret observations through that lens. We examine whether the DRE followed proper procedures, whether observations actually support impairment conclusions, and whether the officer has any training specific to your medication’s effects.
- Presenting prescriber testimony. Your physician prescribed the medication believing you could function normally—including driving—while taking it. We work with treating physicians to explain why the prescription was appropriate, what functional expectations accompanied it, and whether the detected levels represent normal therapeutic use.
- Exploiting the absence of impairment thresholds. Without per se limits, the prosecution must prove impairment through circumstantial evidence. We demonstrate that the blood level detected falls within the therapeutic range, that patients routinely drive safely at such levels, and that no scientific consensus establishes impairment at your specific concentration.
- Analyzing driving evidence. What actually happened on the road? Minor traffic infractions that would never normally trigger DUI investigation sometimes become pretexts when officers smell or observe something suggesting drug use. We examine whether the driving behavior actually suggested impairment—or whether the officer’s observations were colored by expectations formed after the stop. Knowing what to avoid saying during your stop matters because statements about medication use often prompt the entire investigation.
- Addressing medication warnings. Prescription labels often include drowsiness warnings. Prosecutors point to these warnings as evidence you shouldn’t have driven. We counter that warnings are precautionary, that they apply to initiation of therapy rather than stable long-term use, and that your physician cleared you for normal activities including driving.
- Humanizing the defendant. Juries understand that people take medications for real conditions. Someone managing chronic pain, anxiety, or insomnia isn’t a reckless driver—they’re a patient trying to function. Working with a DUI defense attorney who presents your medical reality compellingly helps jurors see beyond the prosecution’s criminalization narrative.
Contact Eastside DUI
Prescription drug DUI charges punish people for following their doctors’ advice. You took medication legally prescribed to help you function—and now the state claims that medication made you a criminal. Our Bellevue prescription drug DUI lawyers have spent 15 years defending patients against these prosecutions, challenging impairment evidence, presenting medical context, and protecting people who don’t belong in the criminal justice system.
We offer free consultations to evaluate your case and discuss defense strategies tailored to your specific medication and circumstances. DUI defense fees start at $3,500, and we explain all costs clearly before you decide.
Taking your prescribed medicine shouldn’t make you a criminal. Contact Eastside DUI today.
