Zepbound Before Surgery: When to Stop It
The Zepbound label warns that food can stay in the stomach longer during anesthesia or deep sedation. Tell the care team you take it before any procedure.
- Active ingredient
- tirzepatide
- How it is taken
- weekly injection
A quick look at Zepbound
The half-life is 5 to 6 days: by 5.5 d, half has cleared, and once five half-lives pass, about 3% is left, 27.5 d in all.
At 72 weeks in SURMOUNT-1: 20.9% of body weight, compared with 3.1% on placebo.
Prices each month, in US dollars: the list price and self-pay offers, both taken from the maker's price page.
Sources: FDA label (DailyMed), Eli Lilly 1 2, cnbc.com.
What the label says about anesthesia and sedation
| Medicine | What the label says |
|---|---|
| Zepbound | It matters under anesthesia or deep sedation, since food can stay in the stomach for a longer time. Tell the care team before any procedure. |
Source material: the FDA labels and FDA label on DailyMed.
What is different before surgery?
| What changes | What the label says |
|---|---|
| Severe Gastrointestinal Adverse Reactions | Common side effects affect the stomach and gut, and they can be severe. Not recommended for people with severe gastroparesis. |
| Hypoglycemia | Low blood sugar is more likely when you combine this with insulin or a sulfonylurea, so those doses may need lowering. |
| Taken with oral medicines | It slows stomach emptying and can affect how other pills get absorbed. |
Source material: the FDA labels and FDA label on DailyMed.
Source: the label warnings, and FDA label on DailyMed.
Each GLP-1 label on surgery
| Medicine | What the label says | How it is taken |
|---|---|---|
| Zepbound | Label warning: tell the care team | weekly injection |
 Ozempic | Label warning: tell the care team | weekly injection |
 Wegovy | Label warning: tell the care team | weekly injection or daily tablet |
 Rybelsus | Label warning: tell the care team | daily tablet |
 Mounjaro | Label warning: tell the care team | weekly injection |
 Foundayo | Label warning: tell the care team | daily tablet |
 Trulicity | Label warning: tell the care team | weekly injection |
 Saxenda | Label warning: tell the care team | daily injection |
 Victoza | Label warning: tell the care team | daily injection |
| Byetta | Label warning: tell the care team | twice-daily injection |
Sources: FDA label (DailyMed).
Questions to ask your prescriber
- Should I skip a dose before my procedure, and if so, which one?
- Do I need a liquid diet the day before?
- Who on the surgical team needs to know?
Read the full Zepbound prescribing information on DailyMed.