39. Medicines optimisation during periods of fasting with Dr Salman Waqar

Welcome to this episode of Talking Meds where we are going to be talking about taking medicines during periods of fasting. This is particularly relevant at times of the year like this during Ramadan or during Lent for some Christians who observe that. And of course intermittent fasting is very popular as a way of losing or maintaining weight. To discuss this I'm joined by  Dr Salman Waqar.

Salman is a GP with a background in academia, policy, medical leadership, public health, and education & training. He also has a strong background in community organising and advocacy.

He has vast experience of teaching and training for organisations such as the Royal College of GPs and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and has an honorary academic position at Imperial College London having published over 40 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters (see google scholar list here) 

We think there is a significant learning need around medicines issues during periods of fasting, as well as an opportunity to engage with patients who may not otherwise access healthcare services. The resources linked below can help address this.

Resources mentioned in this episode;

• Ramadan Compendium, with risk stratification table
• Pharmaceutical Journal Article: Case-based learning: medicines management during Ramadan - How pharmacists can support patients in safely and effectively managing medications while fasting.
• Fasting during Ramadan and fitness for work implications | Occupational Medicine | Oxford Academic
• Ramadan and Diabetes: A Narrative Review and Practice Update | Diabetes Therapy | Springer Nature Link

PrescQIPP Annual Awards 2026 - Entries are now open for the 2026 PrescQIPP Awards - deadline: 15th May 2026

Now is the time to share all the good work you have done over the past year and be in for a chance to win a prestigious PrescQIPP award - 
open to all teams working with the NHS across all sectors!

Categories for 2026:

• Addressing health inequalities
• Care homes/domiciliary care/carer medicines optimisation
• Data tools and technology to support medicines optimisation
• Enhanced productivity, sustainability and value for money
• Patient safety and address overprescribing

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