What to do about life-term medicine during Ramadhan.

Question

Hey, I asked a question earlier, and now I wanted to be a little more specific. This is the first ramadhan where I will be taking some bipolar medicine as well as anxiety medicine and seizure medicine.

I know the anxiety medicine isn't permanent, seizure im not sure, but i know bipolar I will be taking all my life.

It has to be administered every 12 hours. I know right now, life is hard to function without medicine, so with college and fasting I need to be stable.

Around my way sahoor will be at around 5 AM and Iftaar will be at 8:15 PM, thats about 15 hours fasting. I was planning on taking one after sahoor and one after iftaar but then I will be taking two pills in a 9 hours period and i don't think thats safe. So what is to be done in this situation? The point at which sahoor and iftaar will be 12 hours apart is many many years from now. How do i function, do I ignore my medicine and just try to tough it out?

Answer 1

if it's important to your health and well-being and if it is required that you do NOT miss taking the pills for fear of jeopardizing your recovery;

1) take the medicine

2) make up the fasting another year

Remember: your quran says that your religion is one of ease (in the carrying out of daily decisions), not one of unnecessary burden

*agrees with umhuda*: ASK your physician... DON'T rely on the opinoins in this forum for this kind of situation

Answer 2

I asked my husband (who is a physician however you should also consult your personal physician) and he said if you are late in taking the medicine a few hours it should not affect you negatively.  He said with anxiety it is when you go off the medications completely for periods of time that the problems arise.  So you should be able to fast normally and still take the medication.  And Allah swt knows best.  

Answer 3

Try to ask a professional Muslim doctor's opinion, if available. I think that if there isn't any other alternative but to take the medicine, you can pay or feed poor people instead of the fasting and this, I think, is allowed by Allah. Seek a more professional answer from "Ask the Scholar" section in the following website:

http://www.islamonline.net

Answer 4

Consult your physician sis and tell him how important Ramadan is, You can also ask your local Imam about this before Ramadan starts.

I like sister umhuda answer may be it won't effect you at all.

I know what you mean about winter though I'm always depressed during the winter months December and January being the worst.

Answer 5

NO!! Allah (swt) does not put a burden on a person! If your health does not permit you to fast then you don't have to fast in fact you shouldn't as you are putting your self at risk.

Ibn Qudaamah said: the scholars are agreed that it is permissible for the sick person not to fast in general. The basis of that is the aayah in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"but if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number (should be made up) from other days”[al-Baqarah 2:184] "

It was narrated that Salamah ibn al-Akwa’ (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “When this aayah was revealed – ‘And as for those who can fast with difficulty, (e.g. an old man), they have (a choice either to fast or) to feed a Miskeen (poor person) (for every day)’ [al-Baqarah 2:184 – interpretation of the meaning] – those who wanted not to fast could do that, and pay the fidyah (i.e., feed one poor person for each day). That remained the case until the following aayah was revealed, i.e., the verse:

And as for those who can fast with difficulty, (e.g. an old man), they have (a choice either to fast or) to feed a Miskeen (poor person) (for every day)’

[al-Baqarah 2:185 – interpretation of the meaning] – so it abrogated it.”  

The sick person who fears that fasting may make his sickness worse or that it will slow down his recovery or damage a part of his body, has the option of not fasting, and indeed it is Sunnah for him not to fast and it is makrooh for him to complete his fast, because that may lead to his death. So he has to be cautious and protect himself. Moreover, if the sick person is very ill, that makes it permissible for him not to fast. But if a healthy person fears difficulty or tiredness, it is not permissible for him to break his fast, if all that happens to him when he fasts is that he becomes tired.

Edit: How serious is your condition maybe you could explain more so I can understand

Answer 6

First of all go ask a sheikh what you should do.

I think that there are things that must be done in order to compensate for not fasting.

Are the medicines you take in a tablet form??

I think if they were tablets then if you can have them without drinking water after them it will be alright and you won't lose your fast. But CHECK on that with your sheikh.

I also think even if your medicines were in a liquid form and you are able to have them without having to drink water after them then you will keep your fast. I suggest you go up to a sheikh and ask him if this is true and if you can do it.  ornot.

If not, he will give you ideas of things that could be done instead.

Good luck.

I was also told by my religion teachers that fasting in ramadan awards and abundant amount of hasanat that aren't awarded in normal days and yeah it's not your fault.

Ramadan is the best month so go to a sheikh immediately.

God help you and i really wish that you all the best with your fastings.

Answer 7

Do muslims EVER wonder why...?

the Torah written thousands of years before Islam was started, openly declared Isaac to be the rightful son of the covenant, the Jews as the chosen people, and the eternal covenant between God and the Jews...was suddenly overturned by muhammad's encounter in the Hira cave?

I mean, I know why muslims believe in muhammad, but do muslims spend time thinking about why would a God who spent thousands of years writing the scriptures through tens of great miracle performing prophets and thousands of witnesses SUDDENLY turn around and appear to a person who neither had the miraclous nor prophetic powers to prove his anointment except for a legacy of shames & crimes and claim all previous revelations or records as corrupted.

That Isaac was not the rightful heir, that the Jews are now discarded as the chosen, and the covenant is no longer eternal.

Seriously. AS a muslim, do you spend time thinking of the probability of a God who would turn against His people whom He had taken 40 years to personally lead across the desert to Canaan, manifesting great miracles including dividing the Red Sea...ONLY to subsequently bring up a man as a final and last prophet yet already disqualified by God’s previous prophets and chose a totally different community to be the chosen.

So, this God is trying to prove Himself as unreliable, to go even against His own will, unable to keep previous scriptures intact yet surprisingly able to keep the final one intact (according to muslims), but wasted thousands of years only to bring up ONE FINAL prophet?  

Does anyone here with an IQ of 100 and above seriously believe God to be this dumb or is it only the dumb people who seriously believe God to be as dumb as them?

I have never heard of a religion that seeks to bring shame on its own deity by first claiming it as ineffective and useless in its initial thousands of years, yet finally successful in bringing about its final book through a man who has endless records of murdering, lying, raping & pedophilia and today many of its followers are turning into suicide bombers.

.

Answer 8

Just take your meds.