“Do I have to stop taking my vitamins before anesthesia?”
Daily, I take a b12, probiotic, and D vitamin. Are these safe to continue before general anesthesia? Anything I should avoid that I might not think about?
21 Answers
No
You can take those
Those nutrients will not interfere with anesthesia care. All of your medications and nutrients should be reviewed with your anesthesia provider.
It is perfectly fine to take all of these vitamins on the day of surgery. Just remember to follow the guidelines for eating and drinking.
No
No
I reccomend to stop all natural supplements and vit one to two weeks before surgery.Some vit could affects anesthesia and coagulation .
It's important to have an empty stomach prior to any surgery to avoid the risk of aspiration. The only medications that should be taken are those recommended by your anesthesiologist - usually blood pressure medication, with very little water. Vitamins can wait until after your procedure.
B12 and vit D are no problem whatsoever when it comes to anesthesia. What we worry about is herbal medicines and natural medicines that people use without informing the anaesthesiologist thinking that they are natural agents.
see this article below which might help you in getting an idea
https://academic.oup.com/bjaed/article/11/1/14/285726/Herbal-medicines-and-anaesthesia
see this article below which might help you in getting an idea
https://academic.oup.com/bjaed/article/11/1/14/285726/Herbal-medicines-and-anaesthesia
SH Wittels
Anesthesiologist
No problem with taking your Medication before General Anesthesia (GA). I do want to add though that each facility and physician have their own rules to what is referred to as NPO (Nothing by mouth) status before GA...Check with your Physician before proceeding to actually take your Vitamins.
Hi,
I generally recommend that most vitamins be stopped at least a week before surgery, unless they are being taken for specific medical conditions. Vitamin E, flax seed or fish oils, and ginkgo can increase risk of bleeding.
Please review all medications, vitamins and supplements with your provider in advance of surgery.
I hope that helps.
Dr Ketch
I generally recommend that most vitamins be stopped at least a week before surgery, unless they are being taken for specific medical conditions. Vitamin E, flax seed or fish oils, and ginkgo can increase risk of bleeding.
Please review all medications, vitamins and supplements with your provider in advance of surgery.
I hope that helps.
Dr Ketch
There is a published pamphlet available from the American Association of Anesthesiologists in regard to herbals and over the counter drugs. The preoperative clinic should be able to answer your questions and/or your Anesthesia provider. Surgeons can refer you to an anesthesia provider they ues as well to answer your questions in lieu of a preop clinic.
These medications are save to take before general endotracheal anesthesia. However keep in mind in general to stop eating and drinking after midnight the night before surgery!
These vitamins, B12, probiotic, Vit D, are OK to continue but there are some vitamins that have the potential to increase bleeding, such as Vit E, so it is always good to check with your Doctors before your procedure date.
The vitamins and supplements that you are taking may be continued before anesthesia. Remember to keep within the fluid/food restrictions before surgery. These vitamins/supplements may be taken 3-4 hrs before surgery with a sip or two of water without any problems according to the majority of anesthesiologist. There are other supplements that should be discussed with your surgeon, such as ones that interfere with blood coagulation (clotting), prior to surgery.
Some herbal medication interfere with the neural transmission (MAOI medication) in the brain and can lead to rapid and sometimes disasters when given medication that are used in anesthesia. Other herbals might also interfere with blood coagulation and lead to an increase in postoperative bleeding. However, there are no good evidenced based studies comparing the effects and outcomes of herbals or vitamins and anesthesia medication. Most of the data is anecdotal and from clinical reviews of cases. It should be safe for you to continue with b12, probiotics and vit D3, but check with your surgeon about his preferences.
Generally if you are having general anesthesia we ask that you have nothing
by mouth 8-12 hours prior to your anesthesia. You may take certain
medications with limited amounts of water prior to the procedure. We would
generally recommend *you not take* B12, Probiotics or D Vitamins before
your procedure as they are not critical medications. If you are on certain
prescribed medications that you must take daily, we would recommend
checking with your doctor or anesthesiologist prior to your anesthesia to
see if they recommend taking that medication(s) prior to your procedure.
Unless otherwise noted we recommend you avoid taking Aspirin, Motrin or
Ibuprofen prior to your procedure as well.
You can continue to take them before general anesthesia.
All of the above are fine so long as they are not taken in excessive quantities. Things to be careful about are garlic, ginco biloba, kava, st John's wart.
Vitamin B12, probiotics and vitamin D are safe to continue the day before surgery, but their duration of actions are long enough that you will not feel any deleterious effect by skipping doses for a day. Medications that may affect your surgery and anesthesia include aspirin and aspirin-like products, anticoagulants, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, and herbal medications such as garlic, ginseng, gingko biloba, and others. It may be necessary to stop these medications for 2-3 weeks prior to elective surgery.
B12 is fine; D and Probiotic, I would stop.
