CommunityConditions & Comorbidities

Just had my Gall Bladder surgery! (Possibly NSFW)

19 replies12 peopleFeb 17, 2026☆ Follow
Summary

Can rapid weight loss from tirzepatide trigger gallbladder dysfunction even when imaging shows no stones?

The original poster developed severe daily pain and bile backup after losing 30 pounds quickly on tirzepatide; multiple scans missed the problem until a HIDA scan revealed 4% function, leading to removal. Several others shared similar rapid-weight-loss gallbladder failures, some progressing to gangrene and sepsis. Advice on stopping the medication before surgery varied widely between providers, with some saying one week, others two, and one anesthesiologist saying not to pause at all. People noted that without a gallbladder, continuous bile drip can irritate the gut during fasting.

What this discussion establishesWhere people disagree

How long to stop tirzepatide before surgery, with answers ranging from zero days to three weeks

Still open

Whether people without a gallbladder should avoid fasting

Nothing here is advice.

19 replies · 12 people
AmberCompass48archiveopening postFeb 17

Roughly six weeks after I began tirzepatide my gallbladder stopped working properly, though I had no idea what was happening at first. Almost four months passed before a HIDA scan showed it was only operating at four percent. It had probably been declining for years already, but dropping thirty pounds in roughly fifty days seems to have finished it off. Every day I felt awful and the pain was intense. No one could diagnose it and I started worrying about cancer or a tumor. I went through ultrasounds, CTs, and MRIs, yet nothing revealed stones or anything clear. Around two in the afternoon bile would back up and I would feel terrible. It got so bad I was not easy to deal with, even online, and a few folks said I was acting like a total jerk. After emergency-room trips, lots of lab work, and every scan possible, I finally received approval for the HIDA test. That gave the answer. My gallbladder ejection fraction sat at four percent. Nine days after the operation I am feeling decent. For quite a while I did not suspect my gallbladder because the pictures all looked fine with no stones or obvious harm, but poor function does not always appear on those tests.

GreyHarbour55archiveFeb 17

Good to hear you are recovering. It is worrying that the gallbladder trouble did not show up in blood tests or the first scans. Thanks for sharing the details.

ClearLedger45archiveFeb 17

This sounds frightening. I have not run into any big problems with Tirz myself. Do you believe the tirzepatide or maybe impurities that came with it caused this, or was it simply something unrelated that happened right when you started the medication?

SlowBramble78archiveFeb 17

WOW. I am glad you are feeling better now. Living with constant pain is awful. At least you do not need that gallbladder anymore.

WarmWillow50archiveFeb 17

Happy they removed it for you. The same thing happened to me after fast weight loss years ago. I kept getting passed around until the gallbladder turned gangrenous and broke apart during the operation, which caused sepsis and then septic shock. Now you can move forward and should feel a lot better without that failing organ.

SteadyFenwick51archiveFeb 17

Glad the recovery is going well and you are watching for more vials.

AmberCompass48archiveFeb 17
↳ replying to @ClearLedger45

No, the gallbladder was already in bad shape long before I started the tirzepatide. Quick, large weight loss is what sets off gallbladder trouble, not the medication. The tirzepatide simply made me drop a lot of weight fast.

ClearBeacon24archiveFeb 17
↳ replying to @AmberCompass48 (opening post)

Glad you are improving. One quick question: how far ahead of the operation did they tell you to pause the GLP-1? I have heard one week.

AmberCompass48archiveFeb 17
↳ replying to @WarmWillow50

Wow, that sounds awful. You went through the worst possible version of it. I am glad you made it. Your case was much rougher than mine and you must have felt miserable.

SlowBramble78archiveFeb 18
↳ replying to @WarmWillow50

That is scary. Really glad you pulled through.

WarmWillow50archiveFeb 18
↳ replying to @AmberCompass48

The one small upside of septic shock was that I was out of it for most of the time. Gallbladder problems can get serious fast. The delay let it turn gangrenous and break during removal, and leftover stones blocked the bile duct, leading to infection and sepsis. Anyone losing weight quickly needs to know these issues can happen. Thanks for posting and raising awareness.

AmberCompass48archiveFeb 18
↳ replying to @ClearBeacon24

This part was strange. When I asked the surgeon how long to stop, he told me to check with my regular doctor. That doctor said two weeks. Then during a phone call with anesthesia the staff member said two weeks was okay. On the day of surgery the surgeon had no concerns, but the anesthesiologist brought up the tirzepatide and said I could have kept taking it without skipping a dose. I am glad I stopped anyway, because after the operation the pain pills left me constipated and I did not need extra trouble there. I had seen another Reddit user say their doctor also told them not to miss any shots. Still, after reading about the risk of aspirating food into the lungs I chose to pause. I ended up taking three weeks off, gained two pounds during that break, and have already started combining reta with tirz while staying two pounds below my previous lowest weight. I enjoy fasting and without the gallbladder it should be much simpler now.

AmberCompass48archiveFeb 18
↳ replying to @WarmWillow50

Thanks. I spent months looking for answers and there are not many posts about this on Reddit. I put up a longer one there so others who suspect gallbladder trouble but cannot get a diagnosis can find it.

ClearBeacon24archiveFeb 18
↳ replying to @AmberCompass48

Thanks, hope the healing continues smoothly.

RustHarbour10archiveFeb 18

Nice to see you are improving and they finally found the cause. I had mine removed at nineteen and the main thing I recall from recovery was the gas pain in my chest and shoulder. They said to hug a pillow. I also have a large scar in my belly button, but healing was quick. Hope you reach full strength soon.

BlueSignal49archiveFeb 18

Good to see you back here. Hope recovery stays on track.

CopperSignal27archiveFeb 18
↳ replying to @AmberCompass48

Several newer studies suggest that staying on GLP-1s before various surgeries can actually reduce complications, though abdominal procedures might be different because of changes in gut movement. More solid guidance should appear soon. You still have to be cautious with anesthesia since slower stomach emptying raises the chance of leftover contents. I was extra careful and fasted longer than required before an endoscopy, yet fluid was still present. For one procedure I stopped two weeks ahead and for the other I did not, and it made no difference.

SlowBramble78archiveFeb 18

I keep hearing about having to fast for twenty-four hours or more before surgery because these drugs slow stomach emptying so much. On the positive side, my blood pressure has normalized after only two months on tirzepatide and my doctor is surprised by the numbers. Still, it is hard to know what is really responsible since I have been using several different peptides at once. It feels like being a human piñata with little peptide gremlins hitting from every side.

ClearTimber11archiveFeb 18
↳ replying to @AmberCompass48

Glad things are going well and hope you recover fast. On the fasting question without a gallbladder, I do not think it is a good idea. The gallbladder stores and concentrates bile from the liver until fat arrives in the intestines. Without it, bile just keeps dripping in, and fasting can irritate the digestive tract. I am not a doctor, so look into it more.

RustHarbour93archiveFeb 18

I had mine removed last summer under similar circumstances but without any GLP-1s. I was relieved once it was gone. Hope your healing is quick.

Add your experience

If you have tried it, this topic is still open. Sign in to reply — it takes a minute.