So, if during fasting you are required to take drugs, this of course will invalidate the fast you are currently living. However, what we will explain this time is to provide knowledge and smart tips on how to drink and consume medicine during fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, so that you can continue to fast.
Recognize First the Concept of Drug Pharmacology
However, before explaining how to take medicine during fasting in the month of Ramadan, we first learn about the concept of specific pharmacology which discusses the properties of drugs and the duration of action of drugs. We will begin to apply it to what is usually encountered in everyday life. Usually we often find drugs from doctors that are written with 3 × 1 day, 2 × 1 day and 1 × 1 day which are also listed with information on the time taken before or after eating.
Talking about the frequency of how many times and when the drug must be consumed, this depends on the type and nature of the drug itself, which is so that the level of the drug that enters the body or in medical language known as bioavailability is at an optimal level which has therapeutic effect on the body. For drugs that are easily digested and metabolized by the body and are easily removed from the body, one of them is through urine, the frequency of drugs consumed will be higher and vice versa, for drugs that are solid and difficult to metabolize, the body will have a frequency amount of consumption less frequently.
That way, for the same drug with the same amount, it will have the same duration of action, so that the time interval for consumption must be the same, for example: for a drug that has a recommendation to be consumed as much as 1 × 1 day then it is taken at an interval of 24 hours, for drugs with a recommended consumption of 2 × 1 day are taken every 12 hours, while for drugs that have a recommended consumption of 3 × 1 days, they must be taken every 8 hours and so on.
As for drugs that have a recommendation for consumption after meals, that is because these drugs have an irritating effect on the digestive tract of the body, especially the stomach. Or in certain types, drug absorption will be better when it is mixed with food. For this reason, the drug is recommended to be consumed when the stomach is blocked with food. While drugs that have recommendations for consumption before eating, are usually used so that the drug’s performance is more optimal before it is mixed with the food consumed. Now, if we have understood the pharmacological concept and the properties of medicine, then we will explain how to take good and smart medicine during Ramadan fasting.
Here is the Smart Way to Consume Drugs During Fasting
1. How to take medicine with the recommendation 1 time a day before eating
If you are sick in the month of Ramadan and participate in fasting in the month of Ramadan but are followed by the necessity of taking medicines. So you have to be smart to work around this, take the drug when breaking your fast or sahur, which is when you break your fast by drinking or about 30 minutes before eating a heavy meal or you can take the drug 30 minutes before eating a meal. The most important thing is to use the same time every day, that is, once every 24 hours.
2. How to take medicine with the recommendation 1 time a day after meals
If you get this recommendation during the month of fasting, take the drug when breaking your fast or dawn, which is when you break the fast by drinking or about 30 minutes before eating a heavy meal or you can take the drug 30 minutes before eating a meal. The most important thing is to use the same time every day, that is, once every 24 hours.
3. How to take medicine with the suggestion 2 times a day after meals
For drugs with consumption recommendations like this, when consumed in the month of fasting so as not to cancel your worship, you can consume them after eating when breaking the fast and after eating Suhoor.
4. How to take medicine with the suggestion 2 times a day before eating
Same is the case with taking the medicine as recommended before eating as above, you can drink the drug with 2 times a day before eating when breaking and suhoor, which is half an hour before heavy meals at breaking and dawn.
5. How to take medicine with the recommendation 3 times a day
If you are given a prescription by a doctor with a recommendation 3 times a day to be consumed during fasting, this prescription may be a little difficult when it comes to time division. However, it is better if the drug is to relieve symptoms such as pain, headaches and other symptoms, then it is enough to take the drug 2 times, namely after eating iftar and after eating Suhoor. However, if the drug is causative like antibiotics, it is better to ask your doctor to replace it with an antibiotic that can be consumed 2 times a day.
The following is how to take medication that you can apply when you are taking medication while fasting. Sickness does come unexpectedly, but if you are still able to do worship, illness is not a barrier for you to worship God Almighty. That way, even though it is accompanied by illness that is required to always take medicine during the fasting month, you don’t need to worry because your worship can still be done. Happy fasting and get well soon!
