Doncaster woman hospitalised after £180 weight loss injection she bought online

The woman, who has asked not to be named, was admitted to Doncaster Royal Infimary just hours after receving the semaglutide jab she spotted online.

There is a booming black market for the jabs – but there have been numerous horror stories of people suffering adverse reactions and serious medical issues after taking the drug – many from unlicensed and unregistered practitioners.

The woman said: “As soon as I got the injection done I started with symptoms.

"Half an hour after, I couldn’t feel my legs from the waist down - they went all numb.

"I was throwing up with blood in my sick and I had a really bad headache which affected my eyes.

"I couldn’t see any my phone or my TV or any sunlight because of how bad my headache was.

“After my symptoms happened, I messaged the business as I was really worried as I knew this wasn’ meant to happen and they ignored me all day.

"I messaged another supplier for advice on what to do and she told me to ring 111 straight away as they it should not have crystals in the bottle.”

She says an anbulance was sent to her home and she was taken to Doncaster Royal Infimary.

She added: “When I arrived at the hospital, they treated it as poisoning, telling me it was a pre mixed injection.

"I didn’t know what was in it – it made my blood pressure sky high and it wouldn’t come down.

"So they then put me on a drip and then flushed it out of my system and kept an eye on me all night – the doctor said it was attacking my stomach and I was so lucky.

She added: “If anyone is struggling to lose weight and decides to get weight loss injections, please do your research.

"I am now £180 down and ended up in hospital being treated for poisoning.”

Semaglutide – the active ingredient in slimming drugs – has become a popular weight loss aid following a number of celebrities singing its praises.

The drug is available without prescription online and kits are often made up of needles, liquids, syringes, alcohol wipes and the semaglutide in white powder form.

Semaglutide is illegal to sell without approval.

The Department of Health said: "The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) continuously works to identify those unlawfully trading in medicines and will use its powers to take appropriate enforcement action."

Dr Alison Cave, the MHRA's chief safety officer, said: "Buying prescription-only medicines without a prescription from illegally trading suppliers significantly increases the risk of receiving something which is either fake or not licensed for use in the UK.

"Instead, please report it to us, external, so that we can investigate and take any necessary action."

You can find more details on semaglutide and its uses in weight loss on the NHS website HERE