GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs for weight loss could make surgery deadly
Are ‘miracle’ weight loss drugs putting you AT RISK during surgery?
Friend, I’m sure you’ve heard A LOT about those “miracle drugs” for weight loss that have been making ALL the headlines lately.
And not always for the right reasons.
See, some folks are seeing STUNNING results from these injections… dropping IMPRESSIVE amounts of weight in a SHORT period of time…
While CONQUERING their blood sugar woes.
But in a growing number of patients taking these meds… it’s become clear that they’ve made a DEAL WITH THE DEVIL for those results.
We’re looking at a witches’ brew of side effects…
From nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea… to the potential for thyroid tumors… and even stomach paralysis!
Well, thanks to the latest urgent report from MedPage Today, there’s SOMETHING ELSE we need to worry about when it comes to this class of drugs, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists.
And it’s CRUCIAL you learn about it now… BEFORE you go under the knife.
Turns out, anesthesiologists are worried about how Big Pharma’s latest blockbuster drugs raise the risk of aspiration – or inhaling gastric contents into the lungs -- during surgery.
See, normally when you prepare for surgery, you fast for several hours so you go into the procedure with an empty stomach… and little risk of anything “coming back up” while you’re being operated on.
But a hallmark of how GLP-1 receptor agonists work is how they SLOW stomach emptying.
That helps make you feel fuller, longer…
But it also leaves too much behind in your belly… possibly from DAYS ago… that could come back to haunt you while you’re “under”!
And that could be a DEADLY complication.
This isn’t just THEORY, mind you. It’s actually been HAPPENING to patients on the table.
Experts say they’ve got two options to AVOID that happening to you:
- Have you STOP taking the drugs a week before surgery.
- Shove a tube down your windpipe (a.k.a. intubation) during surgery.
Unfortunately, there are problems with BOTH of those.
For weight loss, GLP-1 receptor agonists are kind of a lifetime commitment. When they work, they ONLY work while you’re taking them.
Within a week, you could get your appetite back… starting eating more… and find your weight loss efforts HIJACKED.
And seven days may not even be enough… especially if you need to TAPER your dosage down, since stopping those drugs suddenly could make your blood glucose levels SPIKE without warning.
Some folks even experience WITHDRAWAL symptoms!
And that’s not something you want to go through when you’re about to head into the operating room.
Now, if you decide you want to STAY on the drugs… getting intubated before surgery comes with its own risks.
The biggest one? Aspiration – exactly the thing they’re trying to avoid.
That’s why intubation is usually saved for EMERGENCY situations… or MAJOR procedures.
Not to mention the fact that there’s a chance the tube could go down the WRONG WAY… like down your “food tube” (a.k.a. esophagus).
There’s even the risk of developing an infection… or a collapsed lung.
Fortunately, these drugs aren’t the ONLY way to stimulate GLP-1.
There are also certain nutrients you can consume that do the same thing, like:
- fermentable fiber (like beta-glucan from barley)
- healthy fats, especially omega-3s
- resveratrol, found in the skins of red grapes
- berberine, found in barberry and goldenseal
- curcumin, the active compound in the yellow curry spice, turmeric.
Friend, I’m not trying to scare the dickens out of you. But if you’re already on one of these drugs… please be very careful…
And HEED the warnings you’re given.
If you haven’t started up on them yet… do your research, and try everything under the sun first before filling that RISKY Rx.
In pursuit of the truth,
Dr. Marc S. Micozzi, M.D., Ph.D.