‘I was one skinny jab away from death,’ says mum rushed to hospital after buying cheap ‘weight loss shot’ on Instagram
A MUM'S bid to shed some pounds almost killed her after she used a 'skinny jab' she bought on Instagram.
Shannon Flannery was rushed to hospital after vomiting continuously for four days and urinating blood when taking the supposed fat-busting injection purchased online.
The 27-year-old claims she bought the drug from an Instagram seller.
She believes the jabs were fake, but no doctor has confirmed this.
The mum-of-two had been using the injectable for a week to shed a few pounds before a summer wedding.
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.
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Shannon paid £120 for ten weeks' worth of injections, which arrived in the post with instructions on how to mix the ingredients yourself.
The stay-at-home mum, who lives in Medway, Kent, administered the first injectable into her tummy on February 14.
'Vomiting for days'
"For the rest of the day, I felt okay. I felt a bit sick, I had no appetite that day, I didn't eat," she explained.
A week later, however, Shannon's symptoms became considerably worse after injecting the second jab.
"I just felt wiped out," she said,
"I was vomiting for four days. I was urinating blood, too, throughout the whole time," she added.
At the time, however, Shannon wasn't 100 per cent sure it was the injection behind her agonising symptoms.
"I thought it could just be a bug," the young mum said.
By the end of that week, Shannon's mum told her to go to the hospital.
Growing increasingly concerned, the young mum was rushed to Medway Maritime Hospital in Kent and was admitted to the ward for two days, where she was treated for sickness and dehydration.
Shannon said: "I was so poorly in A&E, I was laid across the chairs. I was given the strongest anti-sickness tablets, but they didn't work.
"One of the doctors said to my mum that because of how sick I was and how low my observations were, another injection could've been fatal.
"I was still poorly when I came out of the hospital and didn't eat anything for a minimum of a week.
" I didn't have any appetite, I was still in a lot of pain and feeling unwell."
It comes as twenty deaths in Britain have been linked to weight-loss jabs since 2019, according to official data.
I thought it [fat jabs] must be okay because so many people were using it
Shannon Flannery
After her hospital admission, Shannon said she contacted the seller on social media demanding a refund - which was refused - and also reported the product to Kent Police.
The aesthetician apologised for Shannon's 'bad experience' but defended the product by stating she has 'hundreds of happy customers with no side effects'.
After reporting the seller to police, Shannon now wants to warn others against using the products, which nearly cost her her life.
Don't take the easy way out
"I've definitely learnt my lesson," she said.
"I won't be doing anything like that again. I blamed myself afterwards for even buying it.
"I thought it must be okay because so many people were using it," she added.
The mum said she now feels "lucky to be alive" after the ordeal.
"My kids could've lost their mum and I wasn't able to be mum to them for a while, it was horrible for everybody.
"I'd never do anything like this again," she said.
"I'd say to other women considering it, lose weight the right way: exercise, healthy eating.
"Don't take the easy way out. It's a lesson learnt.
"You don't know what's in these products. I've never felt so poorly in my life. I feel really, really lucky."
A Kent Police spokesperson said: "On March 1 2024 Kent Police received a report of an alleged fraud relating to the online sale of a weight loss product.
"As the address of the seller was not known, the incident was referred to Action Fraud for further enquiries.
"An officer also spoke to the woman who reported the incident to check on her welfare and advise her of the investigation process."
Instagram were contacted for comment.
Dodgy jabs
Shannon thinks the jabs were fake, but no test has confirmed this.
"You don't know what's in these products," she said.
"I've never felt so poorly in my life. I feel really, really lucky."
GLP-1 drugs include semaglutide - the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy jabs - which the NHS says can help with weight loss.
The former, however, is only given to patients with type 2 diabetes.
Saxenda (liraglutide) weight loss injections are also available on the NHS.
You can only take liraglutide or semaglutide if they're prescribed to you by a specialist weight management service, the NHS says.
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However, the drugs are being bought online from unregulated sources.
Last year, the Government warned that fake fat jabs were being imported into the UK.
“These jabs work by regulating your appetite, which can lead to eating fewer calories and losing weight.”
Aren’t they diabetes drugs?
Semaglutide, the active drug in Wegovy, was originally sold under the name Ozempic specifically for diabetes patients.
But they started noticing it helped suppress their appetites, stopping them eating as much and helping them shed the pounds.
So Novo Nordisk developed Wegovy, which contains the same chemical but at higher doses specifically to aid weight loss.
Wegovy is not prescribed for diabetes patients.
Can I get them?
Wegovy is offered on prescription to obese adults given specialist weight loss treatment.
The NHS currently also offers a similar drug called Saxenda, or liraglutide.
Both are only available on Tier 3 and Tier 4 weight management services, which means you have to be referred to weight management clinics led by experts.
GPs can’t prescribe them on their own either, Dr Watson said.
The jabs have to be taken as part of an overall programme to help with lifestyle changes and psychological support to get the best effect from the medication prescribed.
But despite being approved for use, supply of Wegovy on the NHS has been postponed indefinitely because of a surge in worldwide demand.
Supply was also halved in the US because of the skyrocketing demand.
Are there any risks?
Like all medicines, the jabs do not come without side effects.
Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: “One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.”
Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, thyroid tumours, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.
What other options are there?
Mounjaro (brand name for tirzepatide) also came onto the market in early 2024.
Like Wegovy, tirzepatide stems from a drug originally designed to treat diabetes.
The weekly injection helped overweight people drop more than two stone in 18 months.
It is available with to order with a prescription online from pharmacies including Superdrug and LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor.
It works in a similar way to Wegovy and Saxenda, but is more effective.
Dr Mitra Dutt from says: “Based on clinical trials, 96 per cent of people were able to lose more than five per cent of their body fat using Mounjaro. In similar trials, 84 per cent of people lost more than five per cent of their body weight on Wegovy, and 60 per cent on Saxenda.
“Mounjaro works by activating two hormonal receptors (GIP and GLP-1), which enhance insulin production, improve insulin sensitivity, and work to decrease food intake