(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Dr. Saad Abdul Fattah al- Noimi, senior consultant in Emergency Medicine at Hamad General Hospital, has advised patients to consult their physician before changing the timings for taking medications when fasting.
"Not only would unsupervised change of medication timings render the medications useless, it could also cause serious complications to patients' health. Therefore, patients that need to take medicines constantly are advised to talk to their doctor, in advance, about the suitable timings for taking their medications during Ramadan," said Dr. al-Noimi.
He explained that the effectiveness of a medication is linked to the time it is taken as well as the chemical and absorbent properties.
"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 further cause serious complications. Altering antibiotics dosages from four times a day to two times a day might cause the antibiotic to lose its medicinal effect and antibiotic-resistant bacteria may emerge as a result," said Dr. al- Noimi.
"However, for medications prescribed to be taken once or twice daily, there should be no problem taking them at Iftar or Suhoor. But for medications that should be taken every six or eight hours, a physician must determine the proper alternative timings for taking such medications while fasting during Ramadan."
He stressed that patients with conditions like epilepsy should consult their
physician on rescheduling their medication timings and their decision to
fast during Ramadan. "Epilepsy medications are usually prescribed once or twice daily as the medications 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 fasting immediately," Dr. al-Noimi added.
"Hypertensive medications are mostly taken once or twice daily, so
patients with hypertension could fast and manage the timings and
dosages of their medication without problems; however, they are advised
to avoid salty foods and drink plenty of water during Iftar and at Suhoor," he noted.
Dr. al-Noimi said diabetic patients have to decide, together with their endocrinologists, whether they are able to fast or not. He stressed that diabetic patients should avoid changing their medication timings arbitrarily to avoid complications such as hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia.
"Some insulin-dependent patients are under the false impression that
since they eat no food while fasting in Ramadan they would not need to
adhere to their medication schedule. Failure to adhere to their medication regimen could lead to serious complications such as ketoacidosis that can in turn lead to diabetic coma," he highlighted.
Dr. al-Noimi also cautioned against excessive use of non-prescription pain medications and antacids without consulting a physician.
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