The fad weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegoby can be dangerous for patients undergoing anesthesia for surgery. Photo credit: skeweze/Pixabay Linkback: https://pixabay.com/photos/surgery-instruments-surgeons-688380/
A new warning from the American Association of Anesthesiologists says the fad weight-loss drug Ozempic could be dangerous for patients undergoing anesthesia for surgery.
Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and other family drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists slow digestion, make you feel less hungry and eat less.
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Food left in stomach increases risk of vomiting under anesthesia, ASA president said Dr. Michael Champeau.
“There have been reports of people vomiting immediately before surgery when there should be no food in their stomachs,” says Champeau.
“As soon as you start hearing anecdotes and case reports, you immediately have an idea of how the drug works and what it does.”
The ASA recommends that people taking GLP-1 agonists, such as Ozempic, stop taking them before surgery.
If you take such a drug once a day, you shouldn’t take your daily dose on the morning of surgery, Champeau said.
If you take the medicine once a week, you should refrain from taking it until the surgery is over.
“If you take it every Sunday and you have surgery on Wednesday, you can’t take it on the Sunday before surgery,” Champeau said. “If you take it once a week, you should stop taking it at least a week in advance.”
There are reasons why patients are told not to eat the night before surgery, the same reasons why Ozempic should be avoided.
“When anesthesia was first discovered in the 1840s, no one knew about this, but things like this happened all too often. If you put people to sleep with ether, they would vomit, inhale it into their lungs, You’re going to get really sick, you’re going to get a bad case of pneumonia or you’re going to die,” said Champeau.
“And it became clear to us very early on that this was a serious complication of anesthesia and that we had to find ways to reduce that possibility as much as possible.”
That’s why anesthesiologists are so particular about how long a patient needs to fast before surgery.
“We always annoy people. We annoy both patients and surgeons after they don’t follow the instructions given and eat sandwiches, toast, eggs, etc. on the morning of surgery. Show up,” said Champeau. said.
“At that point, we will basically not be performing surgery and will have to wait for the prescribed time.”
GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic were originally developed for the treatment of diabetic patients. According to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, they mimic a hormone called GLP-1 that stimulates the pancreas to make insulin after meals.
However, they also keep food in the stomach longer, so patients feel full sooner when eating and suppress appetite. This is why Ozempic has become famous for helping you lose weight.
According to Johns Hopkins University, other GLP-1 agonists include dulaglutide (Trulicity), exenatide (Byetta), liraglutide (Victoza), and lixisenatide (Adrixin).
Patients can resume taking GLP-1 agonists the day after surgery, Champeau said.
People taking medication to control diabetes may need to temporarily switch to another medication, he added.
“While you can’t get Ozempic, you should see a doctor who manages your diabetes because you’ll need to switch to another anti-diabetic therapy to keep your diabetes under control,” Champeau said. .
For more information
Johns Hopkins Medicine has more GLP-1 agonist.
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