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Getting IV Fluids on Fast Day

Is it permitted to get intravenous fluid replacement (IV) on a fast day to avoid dehydration?

Answer:

It is certainly permitted, because this is not considered drinking.

However, under most circumstances somebody in a condition that requires intravenous fluids (such as somebody who has a stomach ailment, somebody suffering from vomiting, and so on, and therefore in danger of dehydration) should not be fasting at all, with the exception of Yom Kippur, depending on the precise circumstances.

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2 Comments

  1. Two questions I have

    1) for healthy person, can he get IV?
    2) what about on YK? Both for sick person and healthy?

    1. Although this is not a violation of the day, it is not permitted to get an IV on Yom Kippur. The Torah wants us to fast and to feel the Inuy of fasting; circumventing this by getting an IV is effective excluding oneself from the idea of the day, which is not permitted.

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