I collapsed on the floor vomiting blood after taking £90 ‘skinny jab’ I bought online – I could have died
A MUM’S bid to reclaim her pre-baby body by using a ‘£90 skinny jab’ nearly killed her – after she collapsed vomiting blood.
Gill Riley began using GLP-1-class weight loss injections in September when she weighed 12st 3lbs and her diet had “stopped working”.
The family of drugs known as GLP-1 RAs, originally developed to treat diabetes, are now often being used for weight loss as they were found to suppress a patient’s appetite.
The 43-year-old dropped from a size 14 to a size 10 and lost 1st 4lbs in just three months, leaving her at a slender 10st 5lbs.
The 5ft 4in retail worker began feeling ill in December but initially brushed it off as winter flu.
But when the mum-of-four started vomiting blood and collapsed on the bathroom floor on Boxing Day [Dec 26], she was rushed to Warrington Hospital after her 11-year-old son found her fearing she’d die.
Medics said her body resembled someone with anorexia and blood tests revealed her potassium and magnesium levels were “dangerously low”.
Gill was hooked up to an IV drip before being discharged the following day with a week’s dose of antibiotics and potassium tablets.
Following her ordeal, Gill has vowed never to use weight loss injections again and feels “stupid” she risked her life “to be skinny”.
Gill, from Warrington, Cheshire, said: “I was already on a weight loss journey and my other weight loss journey had come to a halt.
“My weight had just fluctuated over the years and I just wanted to get back to my normal size of 10-and-a-half stone, which is about what I was before children.
“I began to feel unwell but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was.
“As the days went on, I just felt more and more unwell. I couldn’t eat any Christmas Dinner and at this point I thought I had flu coming on.
“My throat had started to hurt, my chest was sore and when I woke up on Boxing Day morning I was coughing and it felt like there were bubbles in my throat.
“I went to bed and I woke up about an hour later with chest pains. I was coughing up blood and mucus and I was in a lot of pain.
“As I was walking to the toilet I felt really shaky and then when I sat down on the toilet I felt like I was going to be sick.
“It was just fluid and constantly coming out of my mouth. It was blood and mucus and I filled the sink.
“I went down to the floor then and my eyes were rolling into my head and I had to fight to stay awake.
As a mum, it really upsets me to think about how my son found me, I could have died
Gill Riley
“I had pins and needles down the left side of my body and I couldn’t breathe. My breath was really shallow.
“My son found me on the floor and he woke up my other son and they called an ambulance.
“As a mum, it really upsets me to think about how my son found me, I could have died.
“I honestly thought I was going to die. I can’t tell you how bad I felt and I was fighting to stay conscious.
“Just because I wanted to be skinny I could have died and left my kids with no mum because I felt like I had to look a certain way and I don’t.”
‘I resembled someone with anorexia’
Gill’s friend originally bought the weight loss jabs from an online pharmacy website, with Gill paying £90 for her cut of them.
In hospital Gill claims an X-ray also revealed that she contracted pneumonia as her immune system was so weak from using the jabs.
Gill said: “When the results came back the doctor said my electrolytes were dangerously low.
“They said my potassium levels were so low it resembled someone with anorexia. He put me on a drip with potassium.
“The X-ray showed that I also had pneumonia because my immune system was low, which is why I couldn’t fight off the infection.
“The doctor asked me if I had taken anything I shouldn’t have and I told him I took skinny jabs.
“He said he knew I had taken something from my results and said they had had an influx of women with these exact same symptoms as me because they had taken skinny jabs.”
Gill says she’s recovered from her hospitalisation but needs further tests to check she hasn’t suffered any permanent kidney damage.
She is now urging other women to think about the health risks when using weight loss injections.
Gill said: “People need to be aware that it’s not as simple as taking a skinny jab and everything goes smoothly, you need to think of the risks that are involved with it.
“At the moment I am eating more and have put on weight but I’m healthy and feel a lot better.
“I would never go back on the skinny jabs.
“It’s not worth it and I think mums need to think about this as they could potentially be leaving their kids [behind] just to look how they think they need to look.”
Weight loss injections in the UK
WEIGHT loss injections in the UK include semaglutide (Wegovy), liraglutide (Saxenda), and tirzepatide (Mounjaro).
They work by mimicking a hormone that regulates appetite, making you feel fuller and reducing hunger.
For NHS-funded weight loss injections, patients typically need a BMI of 35 or higher, or a BMI of 30-34.9 with a weight-related health condition, and have tried conventional weight loss methods without success.
You can also access weight loss injections privately, but it’s crucial to ensure you are getting a legitimate prescription and support from a qualified healthcare professional.
Private options include online consultations with regulated services like Superdrug Online Doctor or Boots Online Doctor.
Weight loss injections are most effective when used alongside a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet and regular exercise.
Common side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and constipation.
While the long-term risks are still being studied, some potential risks include gall bladder disease, inflammation of the pancreas, and kidney issues.
It’s crucial to discuss the potential benefits and risks of weight loss injections with your doctor or a qualified healthcare professional before starting treatment.