Surgery or other medical procedures under general anaesthesia or sedation: medications like Wegovy (Semaglutide) or Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) can delay the time it takes for food to empty from your stomach, which can have implications if you need to be ‘nil by mouth’ for a procedure, as food remaining in the stomach can be dangerous. Therefore, you should discuss with your clinician to stop your weekly injections one week before the procedure.

It would be ideal to schedule the procedure for the day of the week you typically take the medication; in that way, you can hopefully have your next injection later during that day or 24 hours after.

During the day of Surgery:

‍Fasting guidelines: Follow any fasting instructions from your surgical team closely. Usually, no food or drink is allowed several hours before surgery, as directed by your surgeon.

Blood sugar monitoring: For patients with diabetes, your healthcare team will closely monitor your blood sugar levels before, during, and after the procedure to ensure they remain in a safe range.

After Surgery:

Restarting your medication: This will typically depend on your ability to eat and drink normally.

Special considerations may apply to GI or bowel surgery, which you should discuss with your surgeon and anaesthetist. 

Please restart the GLP1 injections as soon as you are authorised to do so. After resuming your medication, watch for common side effects like nausea or gastrointestinal discomfort. If these symptoms are severe or persistent, contact your clinicians immediately and depending on their capacity, consider contacting emergency services as you may need further assessment.

If there has been over a week break between stopping your medication and recommencing, please contact your Roczen clinician before starting, as your dose may need to be reduced for safety reasons and to avoid possible side effects.

How to proceed if you cannot stop the medication before the procedure:
‍please speak with your anaesthetist, as they may need to take additional precautions to increase your safety.

Minor medical or dental procedures under local anaesthesia:
‍You can continue with your medication before minor medical or dental procedures that do not require sedation. Keep your health provider updated on the medication you are taking.