Does semaglutide make you cold?

Have you noticed yourself shivering more often since you started taking semaglutide? If so, you may be wondering: Does semaglutide make you cold? 

Semaglutide itself does not make you cold, but some of the medication’s intended effects — such as weight loss and metabolic changes — can cause some people to temporarily feel colder. Read on as we explore.

Feeling colder is not a listed side effect of semaglutide drugs, Wegovy, Ozempic, or Rybelsus. 

Take a quick trip to the r/Semaglutide community on Reddit, however, and you’ll find some threads discussing how people experienced chills or felt cold or even freezing when taking the medication. So, what’s the deal?

First off, let us reassure you: In most cases, feeling cold on semaglutide is not something you need to worry about. It’s typically a normal metabolic effect of eating less. 

Your body slows your metabolism in response to weight loss. This can have a number of ripple effects, including feeling colder.

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Semaglutide may cause you to feel cold as an unintended side effect of how the medication works. Specifically, you might feel cold on semaglutide because:

• You’re eating less

• Your metabolism is changing

• You’re losing body fat

• Your blood pressure is decreasing

Now, for the longer answer. Semaglutide works by slowing down digestion and reducing your appetite. As a result, you may eat less and produce less body heat. 

Your metabolism generates energy to burn calories from the food you eat (yes, even eating burns calories!). Studies show that long-term calorie restriction — similar to dieting or simply eating less on semaglutide — lowers your core body temperature as your metabolism adapts to the reduced food intake.

When you lose weight on semaglutide, you also lose body fat. Body fat is literal insulation for your body. So, the less of it you have, the colder you may run. 

Finally, semaglutide lowers blood pressure. It’s one of the medication’s benefits for people with heart disease who take it to reduce their cardiovascular risk. Lower blood pressure, in turn, is associated with a lower body temperature.

There isn’t any research on feeling cold while taking semaglutide. However, anecdotal reports suggest it could last the first few weeks or months of taking the medication. 

Feeling cold on semaglutide is likely a temporary effect as your body adjusts to the medication and eating less. Also, clinical studies suggest that the majority of weight loss occurs during the first year of taking semaglutide. So, if your chills are related to a loss of body weight and fat, your body temperature may stabilize by that time.

If you’re feeling cold on Wegovy or Ozempic, you can warm yourself up by eating balanced meals, exercising regularly, and avoiding extreme calorie restriction. And while it may sound obvious, wearing layers and increasing the room temperature can also do the trick. 

Warm yourself up with the basics

If semaglutide is making you cold, start with the basics:

• Wear layered clothing

• Use socks and hats to trap heat in at the extremities

• Cozy up with a warm blanket

• Use a heating pad

• Make yourself some hot tea

• Crank up the thermostat — even a degree or two can make a difference

Follow a balanced diet

It’s generally recommended to follow a reduced-calorie diet on semaglutide, especially if you’re taking it for weight loss. But you should avoid extreme caloric restriction. Extreme weight loss diets are not only unsafe for many people, but they tend to lead to rebound weight gain when you stop. 

Instead, adopt a sustainable caloric deficit of 500–750 calories (or whatever your healthcare provider recommends) and focus on nutritious foods that fill you up. In particular, prioritize protein since it has a satiating effect that supports weight loss, and can even help boost your metabolism and core body temperature. 

Don’t go too long without eating

Experts generally recommend eating regularly while taking oral or injectable semaglutide. Think: More frequent, smaller meals throughout the day vs. less frequent, larger meals. 

This can not only help you prevent side effects, such as nausea. It can also help your body better regulate your temperature. Studies show that fasting lowers your core body temperature. So, less time in between meals could theoretically mean less time feeling chilly. 

Exercise regularly

Semaglutide should be taken in combination with lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise. Exercising on semaglutide can support long-term weight management. And in the short term, it can help you feel warmer! 

Higher-intensity exercise, in particular, can increase your core body temperature by a few degrees. So, take your walks at a brisker pace, squeeze in a few more squats at the gym, or, if you really want to warm up, try a hot yoga class.

Temporarily feeling cold can be a normal effect of eating less and losing weight — both of which may happen when you start taking semaglutide. However, there can be times when your coldness is a sign of something deeper. If any of the following sound familiar, reach out to your healthcare provider:

• Your coldness isn’t going away. If you’ve been taking semaglutide for a while, and you’re still freezing all the time, there could be something deeper going on, such as a thyroid issue.

• Your hands and feet are always cold. This could be a warning sign of a possible complication of diabetes (nerve damage) or of peripheral arterial disease. 

• You have other symptoms of low blood sugar. Shaking can be a symptom of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), which can be more likely when taking additional medications that also lower blood sugar (e.g. insulin). Other symptoms include dizziness or lightheadedness, anxiety, confusion, fast heartbeat, and drowsiness.

• You’re skipping meals or practicing extreme calorie restriction. The goal is often to adopt a caloric intake that you can sustain moving forward — around 500–750 calories below what your body needs to maintain weight (or whatever your healthcare provider recommends). If you find yourself skipping meals, feeling weak or dizzy, or constantly thinking about food, your calorie deficit may be too aggressive.

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While feeling cold is not an official side effect of semaglutide, it can happen to some people as their bodies adjust to a lower caloric intake and weight loss on the medication. 

• Feeling chilly is not an officially recognized side effect of semaglutide drugs (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus). However, many people report feeling cold on semaglutide in online communities. 

• Feeling cold is often a normal metabolic reaction to eating fewer calories. As you lose body fat, you also lose some of the insulation that helps your body retain heat.

• Feeling cold on semaglutide is usually temporary. It usually occurs during the first few weeks or months of treatment, according to anecdotal reports.

• Contact your healthcare provider if the coldness never goes away, or you have other warning signs of low blood sugar or decreased sensation in your hands and feet.

• You can stay warmer on semaglutide by eating regular meals, focusing on protein intake, exercising, and using external heat sources like blankets or heating pads.