Ozempic And Spine Surgery – What To Know Before Your Operation
Category: Back Pain | Author: Stefano Sinicropi
The following information is just general advice. If you are taking weight loss medications or any type of medication for that matter, it is important that you inform your spine surgeon about their use before moving forward with a procedure. Your treating physician will be able to provide you with the right advice for your specific situation. Below we discuss how weight loss drugs impact your body and the effects that could have ahead of surgery. This is not to be taken as direct medical advice.
Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are becoming a more popular option for individuals who are finding it difficult to hit their weight loss goals, and any patient considering these options will likely spend some time with their doctor going over the risks and best practices for taking them safely. While this conversation tends to cover day-to-day use, your primary care physician may not explain what to expect should you eventually decide to pursue elective surgery while taking the medication. In today’s blog, we explain some general expectations for managing your weight loss drugs before spine surgery.
Taking Ozempic Before Back Surgery
We once again want to reiterate that you should inform your spine surgeon well in advance that you are taking a weight loss medication. While that information should be in your medical chart for them to discover, it’s always a good idea to bring this up in a conversation so that you can be absolutely certain they understand the full extent of the medications you are taking.
In many cases, your spine surgeon will recommend that you stop taking certain low-dose or over-the-counter medications a day or two before your procedure. This way these drugs are completely out of your system by the time you’re due for surgery. This ensures the effects of the drugs will not be amplified or negatively affect any anesthesia that will be administered during the course of your procedure, as this could bring unnecessary risk into the equation.
However, with a weight loss drug like Ozempic, the general consensus is that you will want to stop taking these drugs much earlier than other medications. These weight loss drugs work in part by slowing your digestive system, leaving you feeling full longer, which decreases your appetite and makes it easier to have a calorie deficit each day. That process is great for weight loss, but it can be a problem when it comes to prepping for surgery.
The reason you are told not to eat or drink anything in the hours before surgery is to limit the likelihood of aspiration. If there is food in your stomach, it’s possible that it could make its way back up into your esophagus and inhibit your ability to breathe. With an empty stomach, this risk is greatly reduced. Because weight loss drugs slow the digestive process, food may remain in your digestive system for a much longer period. What would be expected to be cleared from our stomach in hours may remain for a longer period, which could cause problems even if you stopped eating at the standard interval ahead of surgery.
Since the effects of GLP-1s like Ozempic don’t halt overnight, it’s not like you can simply stop taking the drugs 24 hours in advance and have your digestive system quickly revert back to old digestion speeds. This process is slowed, and it will take days or weeks for it to pick back up again, which is why many providers will want you to stop taking weight loss drugs much sooner than 24-48 hours before surgery. The sooner they have this information, the easier it will be for them to chart a safe tapering schedule that allows them to have full confidence that any potential surgical risks are minimized during your spina surgery.
Being overweight or obese is a major risk factor for many spinal conditions, so it’s not uncommon for spine specialists to encounter patients who are trying different methods to achieve weight loss. If you’re on a weight loss medication and come to the realization that a spinal procedure may be in your future, let your doctor know that you’re taking these medications.
For more information about weight loss drugs and spinal issues, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today at (651) 430-3800.
