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Side effects

Tingling, burning or sensitive skin

Skin that tingles, burns or hurts to the touch without any visible cause is an uncommon side effect at most doses. It became much more common at the highest dose of semaglutide, and the latest label describes it in unusual detail.

By the Cafeity teamUpdated 2 min read

The short answer

Dysaesthesia — altered skin sensation such as tingling, burning, pain or sensitivity of the skin — was reported by 22% of people on semaglutide 7.2 mg, against 6% on 2.4 mg and 0.3% on placebo, and by 5% on the semaglutide 25 mg tablet against none on placebo.1 The label says it increased with dose and drug levels; most people recovered, some after a dose change. It is rare on tirzepatide (under 1%).2 Tell your prescriber about it — do not change your dose yourself.

Bar chart of dysaesthesia: semaglutide 7.2 mg 22% versus 0.3% on placebo; semaglutide 2.4 mg in the same trials 6%; semaglutide 25 mg tablet 5% versus 0%; tirzepatide at its highest dose 0.4% versus 0.1%.
Altered skin sensation (dysaesthesia) by medicine and dose, from the prescribing information.

What the label means by dysaesthesia

The semaglutide label groups several descriptions under one heading: paraesthesia (pins and needles), hyperaesthesia (heightened sensitivity), a burning sensation, allodynia (pain from a touch that should not hurt), skin pain and sensitive skin.1

How common it is

Altered skin sensation (dysaesthesia) in placebo-controlled trials, from the current US prescribing information for each medicine. Rates from different medicines' trials are not directly comparable.
Medicine (trial population)PlaceboMedicine
Semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly injection (adults with obesity or overweight)1%2%
Semaglutide 7.2 mg weekly injection (adults with obesity)0%6% (2.4 mg), 22% (7.2 mg)

The label says the incidence increased with increasing dosage and drug levels in the blood. It was 0.2–0.4% on tirzepatide and 0.3–1% on orforglipron, close to placebo.123

What happened to people who had it

Of 288 people with dysaesthesia on semaglutide 7.2 mg, 2% stopped treatment, 8% paused it and 23% had their dose reduced; most of those recovered, and recovery was faster when some action was taken. Eighteen per cent had not recovered by the end of the trial, mostly those whose dose was unchanged. Of 38 people who went back up to 7.2 mg after recovering, 45% had it again.1

What to do about it is a decision for your prescriber. The useful thing you can bring is a record of when it started, where on the body, how strong, and whether it followed a dose change.

When to contact your prescriber

Keeping a record of it

Record skin sensations in Cafeity's symptom log in your own words, with a severity — alongside the dose record, so a link to a dose change is visible.

Cafeity dose screen: an estimated medication-level curve labelled "Estimate based on published half-life. Not a measurement", the last dose, the injection site (stomach, lower left), a countdown to the next scheduled dose and a side-effect check-in.
Symptoms sit on the dose timeline.
Cafeity Visit Summary set-up: a period picker (4 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, custom) and switches for medication and doses, weight trend, body measurements, symptoms, protein and energy, activity and sleep, and notes tagged for the prescriber.
And go to your prescriber on one page.

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Common questions

Can GLP-1 medicines cause burning or tingling skin?
Yes, mainly at the highest semaglutide dose: 22% on 7.2 mg in the trials, against 6% on 2.4 mg.1
Does GLP-1 skin sensitivity go away?
In the trials most people recovered, often after the dose was reduced or paused; some had not recovered by the end of the trial.1 Discuss it with your prescriber.

Sources

  1. Semaglutide injection and tablets for weight management — US prescribing information DailyMed, US National Library of Medicine, version published 30 June 2026
  2. Tirzepatide injection for weight management and obstructive sleep apnoea — US prescribing information DailyMed, US National Library of Medicine, version published 2 September 2026
  3. Orforglipron tablets for weight management — US prescribing information DailyMed, US National Library of Medicine, version published 13 August 2026

Written by the Cafeity team from the sources listed here. Figures from prescribing information are quoted as the label states them; trial results are averages from those trials, not predictions for any one person. This page has not yet been reviewed by a clinician — see the editorial policy for how pages are researched and corrected.