Usually continue blood pressure, heart, thyroid, epilepsy, and inhaler medicines with a small sip of water; usually adjust diabetes medicines for fasting; always follow the written plan for held drugs like blood thinners and GLP-1s.
The NHS says your team gives clear instructions on stopping usual medicines before hospital, and small sips of water with essential pills do not break fasting in most protocols. The dangerous improvisations: skipping everything yourself, taking a full diabetes dose on an empty stomach, or forgetting to declare over-the-counter and herbal pills. If a pill's instruction is unclear, call the pre-op team the day before.
What to do
Common questions
Can I take my meds the morning of surgery?
Split answer, and the split is decided for you before the day. The NHS says you will get clear information on whether to stop taking your usual medicines before going into hospital, and that pre-operative plan covers the morning doses specifically. The pattern that usually holds: continue blood pressure, heart, thyroid, epilepsy, and inhaler medicines with a small sip of water, because anesthesia goes safer with pressure and airways controlled; adjust or hold diabetes medicines, since fasting plus a full dose risks low blood sugar; and hold what your team already stopped, like blood thinners and GLP-1 drugs on their modified schedule. The sip-of-water detail matters: small sips with essential pills do not break the fasting rules in most protocols, but gulping coffee does, so follow the written fasting instructions to the letter. The failure modes: skipping everything yourself, taking the full diabetes dose from habit, and forgetting to declare over-the-counter and herbal pills. If a pill's instruction is unclear, call the pre-op team the day before rather than guessing at 6am.