Medication before surgery
It is important to keep taking any heart, blood pressure, asthma or antacid medication on the morning and day of surgery. You may have this medication with a sip of water regardless of whether you are fasting. Generally other (non essential) medication may be omitted. If in doubt contact your doctor or anaesthetist. Insulin users or people on diabetic medication will need personal advice from your anaesthetist or surgeon prior to surgery.
Patients on blood thinning medication must discuss this with the surgeon and/or the anaesthetist well prior to the day of surgery. Blood thinners will often have to be ceased a few days prior to surgery, but this is very much decided on an individual basis. In certain circumstances your blood thinning medication must be continued – for example, people with severe heart disease and cardiac stents, or people who have had multiple blood clots in the past etc. Therefore you must discuss this with your surgeon and anaesthetist.
Please bring all your medications to hospital with you or at least a list of what you take with doses and strength.