The discussion so far has focused on a person in life-threatening danger; such a person may take any necessary medication or undergo any treatment, and it is also permitted for others to desecrate Shabbat on his behalf. By contrast, in most conditions of illness, the individual is not in life-threatening danger. In these situations, it is prohibited to desecrate Shabbat for him, and there are also limitations on when the patient himself may take medications. The following section describes the various levels of illness, and the actions that are permitted and prohibited in each situation.

The Sages instituted a prohibition to take medicine on Shabbat. This even includes consuming substances that are not actual medications but which are not normally used by healthy people. For example, one may not use throat lozenges on Shabbat to relieve a sore throat. Similarly, any action that is clearly done for medical purposes, even if it does not constitute a Shabbat violation itself, is prohibited on Shabbat. See the next section for an example.

The reason for the prohibition against taking medicines on Shabbat is the concern that it may lead to the crushing of herbs for medicinal purposes on Shabbat (see Shabbat 5b). Accordingly, the fact that nowadays people usually do not produce their own medicines, but rather purchase them from a pharmacy, eases the severity of the prohibition slightly, as detailed below, although the basic prohibition remains in effect.

It is important to consider in advance whether one’s condition allows one to take medicine on Shabbat, and to ask a rabbi in a case of doubt. If one is not permitted to take medicine on Shabbat but feels that the medicine would help him, he should take it just before Shabbat.

The following is an explanation of different types of medical conditions, from the lightest to the most severe, with explanations as to what is permitted and prohibited in each situation:

This category describes a basically healthy person who can function normally but suffers from a minor ailment such as a mild cold or cough, or a mild skin condition. In such cases it is prohibited to take medications or perform any acts that constitute prohibited labor in order to ease his pain. In addition, he may not perform any action which is clearly done for medicinal purposes, such as gargling saltwater. Nevertheless, it is permitted to rest, drink large quantities of cold or hot beverages, or perform other potentially helpful actions that healthy people also engage in.