Fasting Month 2014

'Its raining its pouring, the old man is snoring, he went to bed and bumped his head, and couldn't get up in the morning.' It finally rained after a few hot days of haze and sun. My head was throbbing so bad this morning, I predicted heavy rain. And my prediction of rain was correct. Its funny how my head hurts with the change of weather. I use to call it my barometer. 

Fasting month is a peaceful month. Muslims are commanded to fast during this period from fajar till the setting of the sun. There are so many restrictions in fasting, and breaking fast is perhaps the most joyful event of the day. It also helps bring together people as in Malaysia, the culture is to have breaking fast events where friends and family gather. With the football season on board, even sahur (meal prior to fasting) becomes a gathering, where friends and family gather to watch the world cup whilst enjoying sahur together. A lot of my patients ask me about medications you can use during fasting and I've gathered some info for the benefit of my readers.

Treatments That Are Allowed During Fasting

1. Eye drops, ear drops and ear washes as long as it doesn't pass the ear drum.

2. Sublingual GTN (Nitroglycerin) pills or other sublingual drugs that are palced under the tongue and     not swallowed to reduce angina, etc.

3. Dental works such as tooth extraction, filling, polishing as long as you do not swallow anything 

    during the procedure.

4. All forms of injections i.e. intradermal, intramuscular or IV as long as it is not nutritional.

5. Blood donation or transfer or blood taking.

6. Local application of medications in form of cream, plaster, bandage, patch etc on skin.

7. Intravascular catheter insertion for examination e.g. angiography.

8. Laparoscopic examination of the abdominal cavity via the abdominal wall.

9. Gargling water as long as it does not involve any swallowing.

10. Taking biopsy of liver or other organs for examination.

11. Dialysis treatment for kidney patients whether hemodialysis or pertoneal dialysis.

12. Local anaesthesia or partial anaesthesia with sprays or injections.

13. Usage of haemorrhoids medication to reinsert the haemorrhoids into its place without involving 

       internal cavities.

Treatments that can cancel fasting

1. Usage of inhalers for asthma or Chronic Lung diseases.

2. Using pessaries or medicine into the vagina inclusive of wash, vaginascopes, or digital 

    examination.

3. Insertion of any catheters, or urethroscope into the urinary tract, barium studies or wash for both 

    male and female.

4. Use of enemas, suppository tubes, medication protoscpe or digital examination into the anus or 

    rectum for examination.

5. Endoscopic procedures of such as ERCP, gastroscopes, etc to examine the gastrointestinal     

    system.

6. General anaesthesia.

(Source Ustaz Asmadi Mohamad Naim / Buku Panduan Pesakit JAKIM)

I hope this helps clear some of the doubts. Happy fasting peeps. :)