Anesthesia
Fasting
Asked on 28th April 2020
Question
assalaamu alaikum sheikh, will one's fast be invalidated if they receive an anaesthetic injection prior to tooth extraction? thank you
Answer
Wa'alaykumsalaam Wa Rahmatullah
Local anaesthetic does not break the fast, because it is not food or drink, and is not equivalent to them.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: With regard to anaesthetic which is applied to a tooth during the day in Ramadaan – do I have to make up that day if I have this anaesthetic?
He replied: No, because anaesthesia does not break the fast. A local anaesthetic only affects the place where it is given, it does not reach the stomach. So if a person is given an anaesthetic when he is observing a naafil or obligatory fast, his fast is still valid.
Local anaesthetic does not break the fast, because it is not food or drink, and is not equivalent to them.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: With regard to anaesthetic which is applied to a tooth during the day in Ramadaan – do I have to make up that day if I have this anaesthetic?
He replied: No, because anaesthesia does not break the fast. A local anaesthetic only affects the place where it is given, it does not reach the stomach. So if a person is given an anaesthetic when he is observing a naafil or obligatory fast, his fast is still valid.