Can I Take Antacids Like Tums While Fasting for Blood Work? | Fasting Tips

Understanding Fasting for Blood Work

When your doctor orders blood work, they will often ask you to fast beforehand. Fasting means not eating or drinking anything except water for 8 to 12 hours before the blood draw. This provides a baseline so your blood test results are as accurate as possible. But what about medications you take regularly, like antacids? Will taking something like Tums impact your fasting blood work results? Let's take a closer look.

Why Fasting is Needed for Blood Tests

Fasting helps ensure consistent, meaningful blood test results. When you eat and drink, it affects levels of various substances in your blood. Fasting reduces the natural variations so the test is a more accurate snapshot of what’s going on inside your body. Some common blood tests require fasting first, including:

• Cholesterol panel - measures levels of total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides
• Blood glucose (blood sugar) - monitors glucose levels to screen for prediabetes or diabetes
• Chemistry panel - checks electrolyte, protein, kidney, and liver function

Can I Take Antacids Like Tums While Fasting?

If you take medications for chronic health conditions like high blood pressure, thyroid disorders, etc., check with your doctor whether to continue them before fasting blood work. What about antacids you take on occasion, like Tums?

Antacids like Tums work by neutralizing stomach acid. The active ingredients include calcium carbonate, magnesium hydroxide, and aluminum hydroxide. These chemical compounds interact with hydrochloric acid in the stomach to reduce acidity levels.

How Antacids Could Impact Blood Test Results

Will taking antacids like Tums impact your blood test results even if you're fasting? They could, mainly because antacids can alter the levels of some substances in your blood. Specifically, taking Tums or other antacids can raise (or lower) your results for:

• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Phosphate

These electrolytes have an established normal range when testing blood serum or plasma. Your fasting blood draw provides a baseline to compare against the standard reference range. But if you take an antacid, it could boost your calcium, magnesium and phosphate levels above (or below) the expected values even when fasting. This could impact how your doctor interprets your test results.

Other Impacts of Antacids on Test Results

Blood tests assess far more than just electrolyte levels, so it’s possible taking antacids could skew other results as well. For example, compounds in antacids could potentially affect:

• Kidney function blood tests
• Certain urine tests during fasting
• Gastrin level tests
• Tests that evaluate thyroid function

Research on how antacids specifically impact fasting blood test findings is limited. But if your blood draw includes any test that involves measurement of electrolytes, minerals, or substances influenced by stomach acidity, it's best to avoid taking antacids beforehand.

Playing It Safe When Fasting for Blood Work

To get the most accurate results possible from blood tests requiring fasting, avoid any medication that could affect what’s measured. This includes antacids like Tums. To be safe:

• Always check with your doctor about medications to stop or continue when fasting before a blood test.
• When in doubt, do not take anything besides water for at least 8-12 hours prior to your scheduled blood draw.
• If you feel you really need an antacid during the fasting period, reschedule your blood test.

Dealing With Heartburn, Indigestion and Acid Reflux While Fasting

What if you suffer from heartburn, indigestion or acid reflux and need relief during fasting prior to a blood test? Instead of antacids, try these tips:

• Avoid spicy foods, fried foods, citrus, alcohol and other triggers in the days leading up to fasting for blood work.
• When fasting, stick to water only - no coffee, tea, carbonated beverages or juice.
• If symptoms flare before your blood draw, try a spoonful of real honey in warm water or ginger tea.
• Keep your head elevated for sleep, use extra pillows to prop yourself up.
• Breathe slowly and deeply to encourage relaxation and calm your stomach.

Be Prepared to Reschedule if Needed

If you simply cannot make it through fasting comfortably without taking an antacid, it’s okay to call your doctor’s office and reschedule your blood draw. Your medical team wants the most accurate test results possible in order to provide you with the best possible care. Avoiding medication interactions that could skew your results will give your doctor more meaningful data to inform their treatment and recommendations.

Use the lead-up time to prepare by avoiding trigger foods and finding natural relief methods like honey, ginger, relaxation techniques, sleeping propped up, and more. This can help train your body to manage discomfort while fasting without needing to take an antacid like Tums. With some preparation, you’ll sail through your rescheduled blood work successfully after fasting!

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.