Why does Ozempic cause a dry mouth or taste changes?

A change in taste (also called dysgeusia) is a commonly discussed side effect of Ozempic on blog sites, although the product information gives minimal information about it, apart from saying it affects more than 0.4% of people who take Ozempic.

People who have experienced food tasting bad or different with Ozempic describe their experience as:

• Food tasting too salty
• Salads, chips, coffee, or dark chocolate tasting exceptionally bitter
• A metallic taste in the mouth whenever they eat
• Food tasting distorted or weird
• An unpleasant sulfur smell or taste
• Changes in taste preferences – now preferring kale to chicken
• Their mouth feeling dry.

Some people have described the change in the way food tastes with Ozempic as being similar to the taste disturbance they experienced when they got COVID-19.

Overall, this effect probably helps with weight loss with some people reporting they had even gone off their favorite foods, although others expressed distress over this.

One small study (n=15) by Gibbons et al., 2021, did not find any difference between Ozempic and placebo (an inactive treatment) with regards to taste disturbances. Another study of 30 obese women reported that semaglutide improved taste sensitivity for all four basic tastes (sweet, sour, salt, and bitter). Experts are unsure why Ozempic alters taste perception or causes a dry mouth but Arnold, 2017 suggests it alters the way genes are expressed along the tongue tissue. More research is needed.

The most common side effects of Ozempic include stomach problems like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and constipation. These tend to be mild-to-moderate and usually clear up in a few weeks in most people.