Image courtesy of American Society of Anesthesiologists.
Ozempic is a powerful drug that can transform your body drastically, and it is good to know how it reacts with other drugs. It is especially important to know if Ozempic could have an impact on a future surgery you might have coming up. Not every medication has positive reactions with other drugs, and one of those drugs includes anesthesia. Anesthesia is one of the most important parts of a surgery, so if your Ozempic treatment could get in the way of that, it is good to know in advance.
If you are planning on having a surgery down the line, and also want to be on Ozempic, all you have to do is find out what some of the consequences or adverse side effects are so you can be well prepared. If you ever need anesthesia, it should be a one time thing, so you can likely easily plan around it when you are taking Ozempic. If you plan to be on Ozempic and have a major surgery planned down the line, keep reading for some extra information and well thought out ideas.
Ozempic: What Exactly Is It?
Ozempic is a growing weight loss drug that was originally used for diabetes. It is still widely used as a diabetes drug, but in recent years has grown astronomically in its use as a weight loss drug. Ozempic is a drug that regulates the body’s blood sugar levels, and through that function also manages to control the appetite, and therefore weight. So if you have type II diabetes or have a BMI above a certain level, Ozempic could be the type of drug that helps you. It comes as a once weekly injection pen that you have to take on your own at home. And just to get you accustomed, the doctor that prescribes your Ozempic should give you a demonstration so that you know just what to do.
Ozempic is the brand name of an active ingredient known as semaglutide. Semaglutide is what makes Ozempic work the way it does, and it exists as other brand name medications as well. Its function is to target the pancreas and make it produce more insulin than it would on its own. Producing insulin is one of the functions that people with type II diabetes lose, and semaglutide can bring it back. And as it works on the way the body processes glucose, Ozempic also suppresses the appetite, bringing users lots of weight loss benefits along the way. It eliminates one of the biggest reasons that people face setbacks in their diets, their appetites.
Ozempic’s Side Effects
Ozempic is known to come with a range of side effects that can be anywhere from mild to severe. Some of these side effects are rare, and some are very common, even affecting the majority of Ozempic users. The most common side effects users experience tend to involve digestive issues, and those most commonly include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and constipation. These symptoms most commonly happen at the start of treatment, and end as your body adjusts to the medication. You are also more likely to experience these stomach related symptoms each time your doctor raises your dosage as well.
Ozempic can also cause skin related side effects like stretchy skin, and that comes on as a result of the rapid weight loss that comes with using Ozempic. Sagging skin is one of the biggest effects that come from losing a large amount of weight really quickly, and that can depend on how much weight you have to lose in the first place, as well as how quickly you lose it. The places where you lose the most weight also have a higher chance of turning into loose skin once your weight loss journey is over. This kind of symptom is known as “Ozempic face” in some cases.
Other side effects Ozempic can cause are dizziness, fatigue, and hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is low blood sugar, and the glucose lowering effects of Ozempic are what can cause it. Hypoglycemia isn’t likely unless a person already has low blood sugar before taking Ozempic, but it is still something to keep an eye on. Low blood sugar can also cause dizziness and fatigue. Sugar gives your body energy, and without much of it, you can feel fatigued or dizzy.
Another side effect that Ozempic can potentially cause is malnutrition, although that isn’t a very likely effect, it is still a small possibility that you should look out for. Though this symptom isn’t likely, if it were to come on, it can be reversed if you then make sure to get the nutrients you need in smaller quantities. Malnutrition is something that can lead to fatigue, as well, and that can be avoided by closely monitoring your nutrient intake. A lack of nutrients can cause fatigue, and that can be avoided by keeping close track of everything you eat, even keeping a meal plan if you need to.
What Is Anesthesia?
Everyone knows about anesthesia to an extent, but not everyone really knows how it works. It is something that we all know that we need to get surgery of some kind. It is something meant to knock us out and ensure that we are at our most comfortable and unaware during the procedure. Anesthesia is a medical procedure that induces a temporary loss of sensation and consciousness in patients so that doctors can perform certain medical procedures.
Anesthesia is directly administered by an anesthesiologist. An anesthesiologist is a doctor who has been trained to administer anesthesia in a few different ways. There is general anesthesia, local, and regional. Each version is used to fulfill a different result during surgery. Local anesthesia will cause a person to lose feeling in a specific spot, regional anesthesia will cause a loss of feeling in a specific limb of the body, and general anesthesia will cause a person to completely lose awareness and be in a state of deep sleep.
There are also multiple ways that anesthesia can be administered. Anesthesiologists do additional training on top of their basic medical training just so they can perfect these methods. It can be administered through inhalation, intravenously, topically, and even through eye drops or skin patches. When it is administered through inhalation, a gas mask is used, and of course when it is intravenous, a needle is used to administer the dosage. And on top of the skin patches, there is also anesthetic lotion that can be rubbed or sprayed onto the skin. Each of these methods requires an expert with years of training to do it properly, and one thing that anesthesiologists focus on when it comes to their patients is what’s in their stomachs.
Ozempic and Anesthesia
Ozempic is a drug that can be taken alongside many others with no ill effects, but anesthesia may not exactly be one of them. Studies have found that Ozempic can be harmful to somebody undergoing surgery because of the way that it functions. There aren’t any ingredients inside of it that will interfere with the anesthesia. Ozempic can cause harm during surgeries because of the way it affects the stomach’s emptying process.
One of the ways that Ozempic causes a loss of appetite is by changing the way the stomach empties out food. On Ozempic, food takes a lot longer to go through the digestive system, making the user feel full for a lot longer than normal. This delayed gastric emptying can have negative effects on anesthesia because your stomach is supposed to be empty when it's administered, but the delayed emptying can cause food to be in there for longer than your anesthesiologist expects.
The main danger involving Ozempic and anesthesia is the bowel related effects that can come from a stomach that isn’t as clear as it should be. During surgery, there is a risk of regurgitation that doctors try to prevent by requiring that patients not eat for a certain period of time, but Ozempic can cause the stomach to still have food inside even when you’d expect it to be clear, which can cause issues. There is also a risk of pulmonary aspiration. That is something that happens when food or drink contents enter the respiratory tract. It can cause symptoms like choking, difficulty breathing, coughing, and more. Your body can normally prevent such a thing when not under anesthesia, but during surgery, doctors normally prevent that by telling you to avoid food ahead of time.
But all this doesn’t mean that you can’t take Ozempic if you ever plan on having surgery in the future. You can always take Ozempic to resolve your weight issues, but it is advised that you take a break from it at least a few weeks before a planned surgery so that your body has some time to get back to normal. The biggest risk is that your stomach won’t empty out in time, so as long as you plan for that with your doctor, you should know when to pause your use of Ozempic and for how long that needs to be.
The main danger that comes with mixing Ozempic and anesthesia is that your stomach contents may not empty out in time for surgery, and there are home remedies that can help with such a problem. Dr. Emil’s Multi Collagen Plus is a collagen supplement that offers a number of different gut benefits that can make it ideal for helping when you need to make your system regular. This supplement comes in a jar that contains fast dissolving capsules that are meant for the support of healthy joints, bones, and digestion. It is meant to help your digestive system run smoothly, and it works best when you take it over time.
This supplement is made with premium grass fed beef, high dose capsules, and a fast absorbing formula. That is this supplement’s goal and you will know just what it can do when you try it.
Ozempic and anesthesia aren’t chemical enemies, but there are reasons why the two don’t necessarily mix. Being on Ozempic doesn’t mean taking anesthesia is indefinitely unsafe and vice versa, so like with anything else, make sure to talk to your doctor to figure out your ideal treatment plan.
