Difficulty In Getting Sense Of Taste And Smell. Recently Started Januvia. Side Effect?

Posted on Sat, 18 May 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 18 May 2013 Answered on

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I have recently stated taking Januvia for my diabetes ...and now I cannot taste or smell...could that be a side effect? I have taken it for a month....and NO TASTE o SMELL!
I do not know if it makes any difference to tell you I was on Actos...and had no trouble...

Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (10 hours later)

Hello and welcome to XXXXXXX

Thank you for choosing us.

There have been no reported or documented cases of a side-effect of loss of smell or taste due to Januvia (sitagliptin) till date. But if you feel that this has only started since the initiation of Januvia, it is best you report to your doctor immediately and discontinue this medication. You may also go through the below link:
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May I ask what was the reason for changing your treatment from Actos to Januvia? Was it due to uncontrolled blood sugar levels? When were you diagnosed with diabetes? I only ask this because uncontrolled diabetes can result in some amount of nerve damage. (Eg. olfactory nerve which is responsible for smell, if damaged can result in loss of sensation of smell).

I would request you to visit your doctor at the earliest, and see if your symptoms continue even after discontinuing Januvia or not. Please do so.

I hope this information helped. Please feel free to write back to me for any further clarifications. I would be more than happy to help.

Take care.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar