During Ramadan, Muslims who are physically and mentally fit observe a month of fasting. Fasting during Ramadan includes abstaining from drinking and eating between sunrise and sunset.

If you want to fast during Ramadan, and keep with your medicine schedule, you are advised to inform your doctors and pharmacists of your intention to fast.

The benefits of discussing your medicine schedule before Ramadan are:

• Adjustments to your medication and therapies can be made.

• Side effects and treatment failures, due to improper use of prescribed medications, can be avoided.

What to do when you need to take medicine during Ramadan

1) If you suffer an acute (sudden) disease and are required to take medicine for it

If you have acute (sudden) diseases such as COVID-19, the flu or fever during Ramadan, you are under no compulsion to fast on the days you are ill and on medication. After Ramadan, you can make up for the days that you were unable to fast.

2) If you have a chronic condition and are taking medicine for it

If you are taking regular, long-term medications, you should confirm your Ramadan medication dosage with your doctors before the fasting month begins.

You must also be sure about when to take your medicine, particularly when the medicine is affected by food intake.

If you are taking diabetes medicine

In a study conducted, it was discovered that the blood sugar levels of patients during Ramadan tend to be lower. As such, the regular dose of diabetes medication during the fasting month may be too much.

Dose adjustments may be necessary if you have diabetes, so that you will not suffer from symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia).

If you are taking blood thinning medicine

Doctors and pharmacists also noticed fluctuations in the blood thickness in patients taking warfarin, a blood-thinning medicine, during Ramadan.

It was believed that dietary and lifestyle changes during the period could have caused this clinical change.

“When patients take warfarin, the effect of the medication can be affected by vitamin K intake, which is found mostly in green, leafy vegetables or other food ingredients such as mayonnaise. It is important for them to maintain their blood thickness within a pre-specified range so that it is not too thick (higher blood clot risk) and not too thin (higher bleeding risk),” explains the Pharmacy Department from Sengkang General Hospital (SKH), a member of the SingHealth group.

As a result, steps may be taken to adjust medicine dosage and monitor patients who are fasting and taking warfarin during Ramadan.

How your medicine dosage may change during Ramadan

To help you observe fasting during Ramadan, and maintain your medication intake, your doctor/pharmacist may help you adjust the:

• Times of your medication doses

• Number of doses

• Time span between each dose

• Total daily dosage of medications

Ref: P16

Check out other health articles for Ramadan:

Tips for Healthy Ramadan Fasting

Best Foods to Eat for Suhoor (pre-dawn meal)

Best Foods to Eat for Iftar (break fast)

10 Tips for Diabetics Observing Ramadan Fasting

Exercising During Ramadan Fasting: How to Do It Safely