fasts and vrats
Is it permissible to take medicines during a Hindu fast?
What the tradition allows
Classical Hindu texts on dharma, the way of living rightly, make a clear point: medicine for the sick is permitted during a fast. The reasoning rests on two ideas. First is ahimsa, the principle of non-harm. Harming yourself by refusing medicine goes against ahimsa. Second is the idea of apad dharma, which means the rules can bend in times of real hardship or danger. Illness counts as such a time. So if you are diabetic, have high blood pressure, take heart medicine, or need any other regular treatment, taking it during a fast is not seen as breaking the fast in a way that matters spiritually.
The difference between types of fasts
Not all fasts are the same. Some fasts, like nirjala (without water), are very strict and are kept by people in good health for a short time. Other fasts allow water, tea, milk, or light food. The stricter the fast you choose, the more it assumes you are well enough for it. If you are not, you simply do not keep that particular fast, or you keep a gentler version. Taking medicine does not erase the spiritual value of the fast you do keep. Many people adjust their fasting practice based on their health without any sense of failure.
In practice today
In practice, many Hindu families and spiritual teachers say the same thing: do not skip medicine for a fast. If you have a chronic condition, talk to your doctor and your family about what kind of fasting, if any, suits you. Some people take medicine with water and continue their fast in other ways. Some keep a lighter fast on days they need more food or drink. Some skip that particular fast and observe another one when they are well. All of these choices sit within the tradition. The point is not to harm yourself in the name of devotion.