(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Patients are advised to consult their physician before changing medication timings when fasting.
Dr Saad Abdul Fattah Al Noimi, Senior Consultant, Emergency Medicine, Hamad General Hospital (HGH), said the effectiveness of a medication is linked to the time it is taken and chemical and absorbent properties.
"Not only would unsupervised change of timings render medications useless, it could also cause serious complications to patients' health. Patients that need to take medicines constantly are advised to talk to their doctor in advance about suitable timings during Ramadan.
"If a medication's prescribed dosage is altered from once every four to six hours to once every 12 hours, the medication will have no medicinal value in the patient's body and will cause serious complications.
"Altering antibiotics dosages from four times a day to two times might cause the antibiotic to lose its medicinal effect and antibiotic-resistant bacteria may emerge as a result," he added.
He said patients with conditions like epilepsy should consult their physician on rescheduling medication timings and their decision to fast.
"Epilepsy medications are usually prescribed once or twice daily as they have long-lasting effect. They can be taken after Iftar or Suhoor. If a patient has an epileptic seizure while fasting, they should break their fast immediately," Dr Al Noimi added.
"Hypertensive medications are mostly taken once or twice daily, so patients with hypertension could fast and manage timings and dosages of their medication without problems; however, they are advised to avoid salty foods and should drink plenty of water during Iftar and Suhoor," he noted.
Dr Al Noimi said diabetics have to decide, with their endocrinologists, whether they are able to fast or not and stressed that patients should avoid changing medication timings arbitrarily to avoid complications such as hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia.
"If diabetics experience symptoms of hypoglycemia, including extreme hunger, fatigue, dizziness, headache, severe sweating, trembling hand, increased heart rate and the tendency to lose consciousness, they should break their fast immediately and have some juice or any sweetened drink in addition to a carbohydrate-rich meal to avoid hypoglycemic coma," he cautioned.
"Patients may also experience hyperglycemia (elevated blood sugar) if they do not adhere to medication timings and dosages or overindulge in consuming sweets, sugars or carbohydrates during Iftar or Suhoor," he noted.
Hyperglycemia symptoms include extreme thirst, frequent urination, dry throat, vomiting, abdominal pain, fatigue and exhaustion. "Like hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia can lead to coma. Patients who experience hyperglycemia symptoms are advised to drink water immediately and seek medical care before their condition deteriorates," Dr Al Noimi said. "Some insulin-dependent patients are under the false impression that since they eat no food while fasting they would not need to adhere to medication schedule. Failure to adhere to medication regimen could lead to complications such as ketoacidosis (ketones build-up in the blood) that can lead to diabetic coma," he said, cautioning against excessive use of non-prescription pain medications and antacids without consulting a physician.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.