By Damian Phillips, The Exponent Telegram
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — GLP-1 medications like Ozempic have come to be known as miracle weight loss drugs. But a stigma for taking them exists.
Regardless of how people may feel about sharing their secret for weight loss with their friends and family, it is extremely important that people share a full list of their medications with their physicians.
“You really need to tell your PCP (primary care provider) you’re on this. It is a medication, and there are risks involved with that— if you’re having surgery especially,” said Dr. Scott Ross, department chair of anesthesiology at WVU Medicine United Health Center.
Ozempic and other GLP-1s were originally used as a medication for patients with diabetes. However, they have also been found to help people lose weight by slowing down their digestion, which keeps them feeling full longer.
This slowing of digestion, however, can be deadly for patients going into surgery if their doctor is not aware they are taking a GLP-1 medication.
All patients are told not to eat or drink after midnight the day before surgery to lessen the risk for aspiration. Aspiration happens when stomach contents are ejected while a patient is under anesthesia. While unconscious, a patient’s gag reflex is unable to activate, and ejected stomach contents can drain into the lungs, which can be deadly.
