Help! Can I drink coffee before having blood work done?????

[Atlas Mugged]

I can't remember & I forgot to ask!

[Dogmudgeon]

1. NO!

It will seriously screw up your blood sugar and cholesterol/lipid profile results.

Bite the bullet. It's only this morning.

--p!

[REP]

4. Won't Affect CBC, ESR, TSH...

chem 7, BUN, phos, calcium, etc ... only FASTING tests, like lipid panels and fasting glucose.

[Atlas Mugged]

6. DAMN!!!!

Yes, I looked at the sheet and it is a fasting test, with lipids and all that other crap.

For some reason I thought black coffee with no cream or sugar was okay.

[Fridays Child]

2. It depends on what they're testing you for...

...but it's probably better not to.

[REP]

3. What Kind of Blood Work?

In general, Yes except for:

any fasting blood work (lipid panel, fasting glucose, etc)
some creatinine tests (given to those with known kidney disease)

[Atlas Mugged]

5. Just general, I suppose

Though my Dr. said something about prostrate work, too. I know I could'nt eat past 8 last night, and can't eat anything this morning, but I only drink decaf coffee with nothing in it anyway.

[LisaL]

10. If they told you not to eat, normally you are not supposed

to drink anything either. So, I would say, no coffee.

[VOX]

7. You should probably arrange to take the test another day...

I gooogled around a bit, and even decaf is taboo before the test, as it contains trace amounts of caffeine, which affects your blood sugars. If you go ahead and take the tests today, your results could be skewed. Maybe a call to the doctor's office will decide it for you.

http://www.stmichaelshospital.com/content/programs/smhlabs/patients_fast.asp
Fasting Blood Test
If your doctor orders a fasting blood test, you should not have anything to eat or drink for 12 hours before you go to the laboratory to have your blood taken.

May I drink water?
Yes, you may drink small amounts of water.

May I take my medication?
Yes, you should take any medication which has been prescribed to you by your doctor unless your doctor tells you not to.

May I drink juice?
No, please do not drink juice.

May I drink coffee or tea?
No, please do not drink coffee or tea even black without sugar.

May I chew gum?
Sorry, do not chew gum, not even sugarless.

May I smoke?
No, please no smoking as this may affect your test results.

May I go to my exercise class?
No, please do not exercise before your test as this may also affect your test results.

What time should I come to the laboratory?
Most of our patients find it convenient to stop eating and drinking at 8 p.m. and arrive at our laboratory early the next morning.

[Atlas Mugged]

9. Wow - thanks for the information!

I didn't break down; I've only had water. And, oddly enough, I did take my meds and was just wondering about THAT.

Again, thank you! What a sweet thing to do!

Well, I'm off to the vampires...

[RebelOne]

8. When I've had blood work done, I was told to drink nothing

but water.