Instructions for Fasting

For certain blood tests, you may need to prepare beforehand by fasting. However, you should also follow any instructions from your doctor.

Instructions for all patients

All patients should continue taking medications as prescribed. Bring all lab orders the doctor gave you and your insurance card when reporting for the tests.

Instructions for nondiabetics

Nondiabetic patients should engage in a 12-hour fast. This means that 12 hours prior to the test, you cannot have anything to eat or drink besides water. This means no coffee, Coke, gum, tea, etc. This also includes no smoking. Failure to comply could result in inaccurate reporting of your results to your physician.

Instructions for diabetics

Where there is a strict dietary program this should be followed and the blood collected so that the fasting period is as close to 12 hours as possible. Example: If a light snack is normally taken at 10 p.m. and breakfast at 8:30 a.m., the snack should be eaten as usual and blood collection should be arranged just before breakfast.

If on insulin, the blood collection should be arranged for just before the insulin dose and following meal.