EXCLUSIVEI almost died after getting a £20 'skinny jab' from Facebook: Mother-of-three, 38, reveals horror side effects that saw her 13-year-old forced to call an ambulance
A mother-of-three feared she was 'going to die' after a weight loss jab left her vomiting uncontrollably and with pounding headaches.
In a bid to shed a few pounds ahead of a summer holiday, Stacey Smith from Sheffield found slimming injections being sold on Facebook by a local clinic.
After inquiring in June, the mum-of-three, who suffered a stroke two years earlier, was immediately told they had a vacancy and visited the salon 10 minutes later.
The 38-year-old, who is a size 12 to 14, paid £20 for the jab and claimed the process took 'two minutes'.
Just over an hour later she began suffering trapped wind and heartburn — but was told by the salon's therapist this was 'normal' who urged her to drink water.
It was only after Ms Smith began projectile vomiting the following day that her 13-year-old daughter was forced to call an ambulance.
In a bid to shed a few pounds ahead of a summer holiday, Stacey Smith from Sheffield found injections being sold on Facebook by a local clinic
The 38-year-old, who is a size 12-14, paid £20 for the jab and claimed the process took 'two minutes'. But just 90 minutes later she suffered trapped wind and had reflux. However, she says she was told by the salon this was 'normal' and instead urged to drink water
It was only after Ms Smith began projectile vomiting the following day and could not even move from her bed, that her 13-year-old daughter was forced to call an ambulance
She is now begging others who are considering buying cheap weight loss drugs not to, saying you may lose weight 'but you'll be skinny in your coffin'.
Recalling her ordeal, Ms Smith who is 5ft 3in said: 'I've never been that ill in my life and I don't ever want to be again. I thought I was going to die.
'The pain in my head, I'd never felt anything like it in my life. It was like somebody had taken a sledgehammer to my skull.
'I couldn't get my head off the pillow and I couldn't have lights on.
'I've never ever been sick like this in my life, it didn't stop for days on end to the point where I couldn't get off the bed.
'I couldn't even hold down sips of water. I had to phone my ex partner and said "I'm dying you're going to have to come".'
Ms Smith claims she first saw ads for the so-called 'skinny shots' earlier in the year on Facebook.
Intrigued by a string of glowing customer reviews and transformation pictures, she contacted the salon said she wanted to book in.
She added: 'I'm quite curvy, a size 12 top and a size 14 to 16 bottom. I'm well known for my bum and thighs, people are like "I'd pay a fortune for that".
'I'd seen adverts for it [the skinny jab] for a few months but because summer's coming up, I want to go on holiday and I want to feel confident and wear a bikini and summer dresses.
'I'd just gone through a break up too. I get my lips done, I get a bit of Botox so I'm not scared to do stuff but I'm also not an uneducated woman.
Intrigued by a string of glowing customer reviews and transformation pictures, she contacted the salon on on June 21 and said she wanted to book in. Ms Smith, owner of a dog walking company claimed she was told there was a vacancy so within 10 minutes popped into the salon and had it done
Despite being discharged days later, she says she is still suffering from headaches, bloating, struggles going to the toilet and still hasn't regained her appetite
'I'm not an idiot, so I've actually surprised myself that I've done such a stupid thing.
'I think I'm going through perimenopause and I've put a bit of weight on.
'I'd been umming and aahing with the idea for a while. It's not like I don't go to the gym, or I'm unfit.'
She said: 'I [messaged her and] said "I'm going to do it" and she replied "I'm in the salon now if you want to come".
'Within ten minutes of me messaging her I went. When I went for that jab, no word of a lie, I was in that salon for two minutes.
'I walked in, she asked if I had diabetes and asked if I was on things she listed, I said "no".
'She said "yeah that's fine", I handed her £20, she jabbed me in the stomach and I left.'
Wegovy and Ozempic work by triggering the body to produce a hormone called GLP-1 that is released naturally from the intestines after meals
After she was rushed to Chesterfield Royal Hospital by ambulance a day later, where medics prescribed her pain relief, anti-sickness medication and she was put on an IV drip.
'Doctors said it can happen [with this jab], that there was no quick fix and there's no reverse drug — it's just a case of waiting for it to get out of your system,' Ms Smith added.
Doctors could not be certain what the injections contained.
The most well-known weight loss jab is semaglutide — the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy — which has been shown to help users lose up to 33lbs (15.3kg) on average over 68 weeks.
It is part of a class of drug known as a GLP-1 receptor agonist: these treatments trick the brain into thinking it's full, consequently slashing appetite.
Huge global demand, however, has seen counterfeit versions flood the market.
Health officials have already seized more than 600 potentially fake Ozempic pens across the UK since the start of 2023.
Counterfeit weight loss jabs have in the past been found to have insulin, a drug used by diabetics, in them.
Insulin works by rapidly lowering blood sugar, but if sugars are not raised to begin with, doing so can have severe and potentially fatal consequences.
Despite being discharged from hospital days after being admitted, Ms Smith says she is still suffering from headaches, bloating, struggles going to the toilet and still hasn't regained her appetite.
She said: 'I take 50 per cent of the blame myself for doing something so stupid.
'What's annoyed me the most is she's [the owner is] still promoting this stuff knowing I've just been in hospital, knowing she could have potentially killed me, but she's still advertising it.
'I still have pains in my head, I still feel sick and I can't eat as much. After all that sickness I've not even lost a pound, it's crackers.
'I still have that bloated feeling and I can't for the life of me poo properly.
'I wouldn't recommend anyone try this, you may as well just sign your death wish.
'You might lose your weight but you'll be skinny in your coffin. Don't do it.'
Semaglutide has been available on the NHS since 2019, and in the US since 2017, for type 2 diabetics to manage blood sugar levels.
Semaglutide has been shown to help users lose up to 33lbs (15.3kg) on average over 68 weeks. The treatments trick the brain into thinking it's full, consequently slashing appetite and stopping users from overeating. Huge global demand, however, has seen counterfeit versions flood the market. Health officials have already seized more than 600 potentially fake Ozempic pens across the UK since the start of 2023
Another slimming jab, tirzepatide, branded as Mounjaro, was given the green light earlier this year in the UK, and in 2022 in the US.
Ministers in Britain plan to dole these drugs to millions of overweight Brits to fight the obesity crisis. Children could eventually be given the jabs, too.
Prescriptions for Ozempic and similar weight loss medications have also exploded in the US, with 39million people — or 12 percent of the population — now thought to have used them.
Like any medication, semaglutide can cause side effects that vary in both frequency and severity.
Reported problems include nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, fatigue, stomach pain, headaches and dizziness.
Other symptoms, such as hair loss, have also been reported among some patients.
Latest NHS data shows 26 per cent of adults in England are obese and a further 38 per cent are overweight but not obese. In the US an estimated 41.9 per cent of adult population are obese.
Despite the hormone mimicking jabs being designed to help overweight patients become healthier there have also been growing concerns about the number of normal weight and underweight patients taking them for cosmetic reasons.
Young women in particular are believed to be obtaining the drug via online pharmacies, who offer them at between £150 to £200 ($200-$250) per month, after providing false information about their appearance and health.
In some cases, people taking the jabs without legitimate medical cause are thought to be doing so as a result of their eating disorders.
Just weeks ago, NHS England's medical director warned the drugs can be dangerous and should not be seen as a 'quick fix' for people who 'just want to lose a few pounds'.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis said the drugs should only be used to treat obesity or diabetes and not abused by holidaymakers trying to get 'beach body ready'.
