Short answer: Under 2024 multisociety guidance (from the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the American Gastroenterological Association, and others), most people can continue their GLP-1 (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound) before elective surgery, using a risk-based approach rather than automatically stopping it. Because these drugs slow stomach emptying, the concern is food left in the stomach and aspiration under sedation. Higher-risk situations may call for extra precautions. Always tell your surgeon and anesthesiologist that you take one.
Why there’s a question at all. GLP-1 drugs delay how fast the stomach empties. Under anesthesia or deep sedation, a fuller stomach raises the small risk of aspiration (stomach contents entering the lungs). That’s the whole reason the topic comes up — it is not about the drug harming the kidneys.
What the current guidance says. Earlier advice to stop the drug for a fixed period (like a week) has shifted. The 2024 multisociety approach is individualized:
- Most patients can continue the GLP-1 through elective surgery.
- People at higher risk of a full stomach — for example, still increasing the dose, or having significant nausea, vomiting, bloating, or reflux — may be advised to take extra steps, such as a 24-hour clear-liquid diet before the procedure, or having the anesthesiologist treat them as “full stomach.”
- The final decision rests with your anesthesia and surgical team, who weigh your dose, symptoms, and the type of procedure.
The kidney angle (don’t forget it). Around surgery you may fast, lose fluids, or receive medicines that affect the kidneys. This is exactly when a sick-day plan matters: your team may temporarily hold diuretics, ACE inhibitors/ARBs, NSAIDs, and (for its own reasons) SGLT2 inhibitors, and keep you hydrated — all to protect the kidneys during the perioperative period.
What to do.
- Tell your surgeon and anesthesiologist you take a GLP-1 — the name, dose, and when your last dose was.
- Ask specifically whether to continue it and whether a liquid diet the day before is advised.
- Confirm the plan for your other medicines (water pills, blood-pressure pills, NSAIDs, SGLT2 inhibitors) and for hydration.
- Don’t stop anything on your own — follow your team’s individualized plan.
Bottom line. You usually don’t have to stop your GLP-1 for surgery, but your anesthesia team decides based on your risk — so tell them early, and sort out the sick-day plan for your other medicines to protect your kidneys.
Related: Should I hold my diuretic when sick on a GLP-1? and Do I stop a GLP-1 before a CT scan with contrast?
Related questions
How long before surgery should I stop Ozempic or Mounjaro? Often you don’t stop it at all. 2024 guidance favors continuing with a risk-based approach; higher-risk patients may use a 24-hour liquid diet. Your anesthesiologist decides.
Is it dangerous to have anesthesia on a GLP-1? The main concern is aspiration from slowed stomach emptying, which the team manages with dietary steps or airway precautions. Tell them you take the drug so they can plan.
Do I hold my other diabetes/kidney medicines for surgery? Often yes, temporarily — diuretics, ACE inhibitors/ARBs, NSAIDs, and SGLT2 inhibitors may be paused around surgery to protect the kidneys. Follow your team’s specific instructions.
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Written and medically reviewed by Dr. Amir S. Naderi, MD, FASN. Last updated: July 8, 2026. Educational information only — not medical advice. Never change or stop a prescribed medication without talking to your doctor.