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Do pills break my fast?

Hello everyone! It’s my first time here, since I recently decided to try out intermittent fasting. Since I’m fairly new to all of this, I’m doing a lot of research… but I can find barely anything related to this matter in specific.

I was wondering if, considering I had been taking hormonal balance pills since before even thinking about fasting, it was okay for me to keep doing it. Thing is, I had to take them after every meal, so I’m a bit unsure where to even fit these now, if it’s okay for me to do so.

Besides this, I also have to take mirtazapine every day before bed. Considering I’m trying out alternate-day fasting, is this going to be okay on the days I don’t eat? I’m sorry if I sound a bit ignorant but I’m really trying to get started on this! (and not fail on the very first few days…)

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Quick side note: I read up on some articles that energy drinks like GFuel break my fast, even if they contain no sugar. Should I skip them altogether during my fasting days and just drink black coffee/sugar-free tea/water? What are your opinions?

Thank you so much for reading and I apologise for the long post full of a newbie’s questions!

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Answer

Take your meds. If you’re having trouble finding where to fit them in, talk to your doc about it. Don’t rely on internet strangers to tell you how/when to take your meds.

Fasts won’t break from the small amount of calories in pills. You can typically consume 20-25 calories during a fasting period without breaking a fast (some say up to 50, but I prefer to be conservative here).

And as far as drinks go, avoid anything sweetened during your fast, even with safe sweeteners like Stevia and Erythritol. It will trigger an insulin response in your body and counteract some of the useful mechanisms of the fast. Stick to unsweetened tea, coffee, or carbonated water during a fast.

And, my own personal opinion: energy drinks are highly processed and horrible for you, so I’d avoid them altogether. I can’t imagine what kind of damage they’re wreaking on your gut flora. Get yourself a nice moka pot (6+ cup), and start making yourself delicious, full-bodied coffee during your eating periods. You’ll be able to add cream, sweetener, and whatever else, and it will blow energy drinks out of the water.

Answer

I’m wondering this myself. I fast 20 hours per day, break my fast at noon and eat my big meal around 3-4 PM. But in the evening I take my probiotics. I take melatonin and magnesium (pill forms) just before bed. I’m hoping they don’t interfere with my fasting.

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