The Role of Preoperative Consumption of Antiobesity Medications in Patients Undergoing Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery

Introduction: Antiobesity medications (AOM) are increasingly popular due to studies showing sustained weight loss. This study evaluated patients prescribed AOMs before bariatric and metabolic surgery (BMS). Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients undergoing BMS from January 2021 to October 2022 at a single tertiary center. Patients who received AOMs preoperatively were compared to a control group. Results: This study included 169 patients with BMS: sleeve gastrectomy (n = 29), one anastomosis gastric bypass (n = 102), Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (n = 30), and single anastomosis duodeno-ileostomy (n = 8). Thirty-five patients took AOMs within 1 year before surgery and 134 were in the control group. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. Body mass index (BMI) did not significantly differ at the first clinic visit or on the day of surgery. However, BMI reduction was significantly higher in the AOM group from the first visit to the day of surgery (1.37 vs. 0.05; p = 0.04). Major complication rates did not differ significantly between groups. At 6, 12, and 18 months of follow-up, readmission rates, BMI, and total weight loss showed no significant differences between groups. Conclusion: AOM use prior to BMS is associated with significantly higher weight loss until the day of surgery but shows no significant difference in midterm follow-up.