Is general anesthesia used during surgery safe for those who follow a gluten-free diet? Many medications are wheat based and I am told that is also true of anesthesia.
You have to ingest gluten for it to be harmful. General anesthesia is either injected or inhaled. It would be in the form of gases or medication dissolved in a solvent, either water or saline. There is absolutely no risk of gluten in anesthesia. Medications are rarely given by mouth prior to surgery because the stomach has to be empty for at least eight hours before surgery begins. Most prescribed medications in the US do not contain gluten. Cornstarch is the filler, according to Peter Green, MD, founder and executive director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University.
