i’ve been on semaglutide for a bit now and i’ve noticed some weird smell changes. not just that food doesn’t smell as good, but some smells are actually intensified. like my wife’s perfume - it’s always been kinda strong, but now it’s overwhelming. anyone else experience this?
i’ve seen some posts about smell changes, but they’re mostly about not smelling things as much. for me it’s the opposite. some smells are way more intense. i’m wondering if it’s the sema or something else.
i’ve been tracking my sleep and appetite suppression, but i haven’t really paid attention to my sense of smell until now. has anyone else noticed this? is it a common side effect or just something weird with my nose?
that sudden intensification of a normal sensory input is something i’ve noticed when my body is off, not just smells but sometimes light or sound too. it’s easy to overlook until it really hits you, like your wife’s perfume getting overwhelming. makes you realize you should probably be logging that kind of sensory shift too, even just a quick note - i started using the watch complication for those random things so i actually capture them.
Running colder on days 2-3 post-shot definitely feels like a different kind of signal than GI upset or hunger changes, so I get what you mean about “intensified” smells being separate from the food noise quieting.
the ‘intensified’ part of what you’re describing, where ‘my wife’s perfume’ is overwhelming, could point to altered central nervous system processing rather than just peripheral changes in olfactory receptor sensitivity. GLP-1 receptors are expressed in brain regions that modulate sensory input, so it’s not a huge leap to consider an effect on how those signals are integrated.
it’s a different mechanism than the blunted palatability usually reported, bc that’s often tied to a shift in reward pathways. many of the metabolic shifts on sema can change how you perceive stimuli, even beyond direct appetite regulation.
interesting how it’s an intensification rather than just a dulling, that’s not the usual ‘food doesn’t smell good’ observation. almost like a sensory recalibration under lower metabolic load.
intensified smells are definitely a thing, even if it’s not the usual ‘lost sense of smell’ you hear about. for me, that hyper-sensitivity is a big part of my prodrome leading up to a migraine attack.
like, the smell of gas at the pump or someone’s strong cologne can turn my stomach and feel like it’s drilling into my head hours before the actual pain starts. it’s one of those details i’ve really had to focus on tracking.