Bring health cautions into the conversation early.

What to check

• Ask about stomach problems and what to report.

  A placebo is a dummy treatment without the study drug.

  In the adult liraglutide (Saxenda) studies, about 39 in 100 people felt sick to the stomach, versus about 14 in 100 on a dummy treatment.

• Bring the names of cancers in your family.

  The thyroid is a gland in the neck. Bring the names or records of cancers in you or your family, even if you are unsure of the type.

  The official medicine information gives its strongest warning about thyroid tumours found in rats and mice; whether liraglutide causes these tumours in people is unknown.

  It rules out liraglutide for people with medullary thyroid cancer, one specific type of thyroid cancer, in their own or their family’s history.

  The same information bars liraglutide use with MEN 2, an inherited rare condition called multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2.

  Ask relatives for the diagnosis name if possible. If you cannot find it, tell the person treating you; you do not need to work out the cancer type yourself.

  A past serious allergy to liraglutide or its other ingredients also rules it out under the medicine information.

• Report old health problems and ask what to watch for.

  The medicine information warns about inflammation, or swelling, of the pancreas and trouble with the gallbladder; these are organs in the belly.

  It also warns about kidney injury from losing too much fluid, severe stomach problems, and serious allergies.

  Before treatment, describe any past belly illness, kidney trouble, severe stomach problem, or allergic reaction. Bring records if you do not know the organ’s name.

  For after treatment begins, ask which new symptoms need a call, how soon to call, and who will answer. Keep those instructions with your medicine information.

• Tell the surgical team about the medicine.

  The medicine information also warns about food entering the lungs during surgery with anaesthesia, medicines that make you sleep or become very drowsy during a procedure.

  Ask the surgical team what to do about your medicine before the procedure.

• Discuss pregnancy plans with the prescriber.

  The liraglutide (Saxenda) medicine information tells prescribers to stop it when a pregnancy is known.

  For liraglutide (Victoza), the diabetes product, it says use during pregnancy should happen only if the possible benefit outweighs the possible risk to the baby.