With millions of Americans now taking GLP-1 drugs for weight loss and diabetes treatment, new and unexpected symptoms are being reported by many users.<\/p>\n
One is called \u201cOzempic breath\u201d, which is often<\/a> described as a fishy like smell or general bad breath, alongside a constant urge to burp.<\/p>\n Doctors believe this symptom may be tied to how GLP-1 delays gastric emptying, which causes food to sit in the stomach for longer\u2014which can cause increased fermentation and bad odors. It may be caused by compounds being released by food in the stomach, which would typically be further into the digestion system at that point.<\/p>\n Bad breath is also called \u201chalitosis\u201d in medical terminology, and can stem from myriad causes\u2014with bad oral hygiene being the most common culprit.<\/p>\n What it all means<\/p>\n These insights are still speculative among experts, as no peer reviewed research has confirmed these mechanisms.<\/p>\n Per Christopher McGowan, MD, who is a gastroenterologist and obesity medicine<\/a> specialist, \u201cAll medications have side effects, and the anti-obesity drugs are no exception. Bad breath, or halitosis, almost universally arises from oral hygiene. Therefore, it\u2019s crucial to differentiate where odors are arising so that they can be treated at the source.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. McGowan was sympathetic to the ongoing problems it causes, adding, \u201cPatients report that these odors can \u2018clear out a room\u2019 and may be a source of anxiety<\/a> in social situations.\u201d<\/p>\n Ozempic breath has also had unintended business consequences. Hershey\u2019s has reported increased<\/a> sales of their mints, likely due to the appetite suppressants ubiquity in the markets.<\/p>\n Which hits at the best possible solutions in the interim.<\/p>\n How to move forward<\/p>\n