LPH logo white

Fasting Instructions

Your fasting instructions and admission time text (sms)

Follow the fasting instructions and admission time sent to you via text message (SMS) on the business day prior to your procedure.
  • If you are having a colonoscopy, please follow the fasting instructions provided by your doctor.
  • If you are taking weight loss or diabetic injections, please follow instructions below.
If we don’t have your mobile phone number, we will contact your landline.

What is fasting?

Fasting means you must not eat or drink anything at all, including water. Please do not chew gum or smoke. This is vital for your safety. You will be told for how long you must fast before your operation. Do not fast longer than this, as you may become very hungry and dehydrated. Brushing your teeth is fine.

 If the patient is a child, please ask us for specific instructions well before admission, as fasting times vary with age and the procedure.

Taking medication while fasting

Even though you are fasting, you should continue to take your normal medication at the usual time of day, with a small sip of water.

However, there are some exceptions to this. If you are on the following medication, please don’t take this while fasting:
  • Oral hypoglycaemics (tablets for diabetes)
  • Insulin
  • Aspirin
  • Clopidogrel (Plavix, Iscover, other blood thinners)
Please check with your General Practitioner and/or Anaesthetist if you have any concerns in this regard.

FASTING GUIDELINES
for patients taking weight‑loss / diabetic injections

If you are taking any of the following medications, please read the fasting instructions carefully:
Semaglutide (Ozempic® or Wegovy®) Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®)
Liraglutide (Victoza® or Saxenda®) Dulaglutide (Trulicity®)

Following these instructions below helps reduce risk and ensures your procedure can be performed safely.

Why these instructions are important: These medications slow how quickly your stomach empties. When you receive general anaesthesia or sedation, any food or fluid remaining in your stomach can come back up into your mouth, and this can be unsafe.

DAY BEFORE your procedure

Starting at 6am on the day before your procedure, you must only drink CLEAR FLUIDS (see list below).

Clear fluids include liquids that are transparent and contain no milk, pulp, or particles. 

DO NOT EAT ANY SOLID FOOD from this time onward.

DAY OF your procedure

You may continue to drink small amounts of clear fluids only. Limit intake to no more than ½ cup (approximately 125ml) per hour. 

STOP DRINKING
2 Hours Prior to Admission
(Please observe complete fasting) 

Clear fluids / drinks) - OK TO HAVE

  • Water
  • Black tea or black coffee (NO MILK)
  • Apple juice
  • Clear cordial
  • Clear soft drinks (eg lemondade)
  • Clear broth, consommé or clear miso soup (no seaweed or tofu)
  • Icy poles
  • Electrolyte drinks (e.g. sports drinks)

Avoid these – DO NOT HAVE

  • Drinks containing milk
  • Ice cream or dairy products (yoghurt drinks)
  • Fruit juices with pulp or fibre (eg orange juice)
  • Cloudy fruit juices
  • Fibre supplements, soluble fibre (e.g. Metamucil®)
  • Alcohol (not recommended during periods of fasting)

Click here to download fasting instructions.

 

Please note: This information serves as a guide and should not substitute information provided by your anaesthetist. Should you have any questions regarding your anaesthesia, please speak with your treating specialist.

  • 17-19 Solent Circuit,
    Norwest NSW 2153
We acknowledge the Darug people as the Traditional Custodians of the land upon which Lakeview Private Hospital rests.
We acknowledge the Elders, both past, present and emerging.