Does an asthma inhaler break the fast?

Detailed answer

Many contemporary scholars and fatwa bodies hold that using a standard asthma inhaler (a metered-dose "puffer") does not break the fast. The inhaler sends a tiny dose of medicine into the lungs. It is not food or drink, it does not nourish the body, and the amount that may touch the throat is extremely small, like the traces of water left after rinsing the mouth in wudu.

Some scholars hold that an inhaler does break the fast, because some particles may reach the stomach; according to them, a person who needs it during the day counts as ill and makes the day up later. If you are unsure, ask a trusted local scholar.

What the Quran says

Whichever view you follow, you must never put yourself at risk. Asthma attacks can be dangerous. Allah says: "Allah intends ease for you and does not intend hardship for you" (Al-Baqarah 2:185), and He tells us not to throw ourselves into destruction (Al-Baqarah 2:195). If you need your inhaler, use it.

In practice

• Reliever inhaler (often blue): use it whenever you need it during the day.
• Preventer inhaler: many are taken morning and evening. Ask your doctor whether you can take them at suhoor and iftar.
• Nebulisers turn liquid medicine into a mist, and scholars differ more about them. If you need one during the day, you are usually ill enough to be excused; make up the day later.
• Oxygen does not break the fast.

What if my asthma is severe?

If your asthma is serious or poorly controlled, speak to your doctor before Ramadan, ideally one who understands fasting. If you are advised not to fast, you are excused like anyone who is ill: you make up the days when you are able, or give fidya if you will never be able to fast. See fasting when sick and taking medication in Ramadan.

Tips

• Never stop or change your asthma medication without medical advice.
• Avoid smoke, dust and hard exercise in the heat of the day.
• Drink enough water between iftar and suhoor.