I took weight loss jabs and ended up in hospital four times
Watching her husband call for an ambulance, Ana Noulty felt terrified. She was so weak she could barely walk. Her throat was raw from throwing up for hours – and she had no idea why.
Taken to hospital by ambulance, the 30-year-old was quickly put on a drip. It was a scary few hours for her and husband, James, 34 – and something, she later discovered, that was entirely avoidable.
Just seven months prior to calling 999 in March this year, the railway worker started taking Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, an injectable prescription medication for weight loss.
'I got married in 2021 and the weight just crept on. I'd got to 17st 6lbs through a combination of not exercising and having a lazy or bad diet because work was busy.
'I was after something to kick start my weight loss and after reading and hearing so much about weight loss injections, they seemed like a good idea,' Ana tells Metro.
However, afraid she'd be turned down by her GP who had always recommended diet and exercise as the preferred way to lose weight, Ana sought out the 'miracle' jab elsewhere.
'I bought it from a pharmaceutical website where they didn't even want a video consultation,' she says.
Although Ana was adamant she wanted to use the jabs – which can be prescribed on the NHS if you're over 30 BMI or 27 BMI with a weight related health condition like high blood pressure or diabetes – her husband, mum and sister were worried from day one.
'None of them liked the idea and kept saying I might be safer losing weight slowly by joining a gym and changing my diet,' she remembers. 'But I've had disordered eating since I was a teenager, so while I knew that could work for a lot of people, I wanted to try the jabs, because I knew if I could get the weight off, I'd likely be able to keep it off.'
Ana had to take the jabs once a week, with the price per month starting at £150, but increasing to £210 as it went up in strength. After starting them in August last year, she lost a staggering 40lb in just 12 weeks – but the side effects kicked in immediately.
'I was really happy with my weight loss, but I also started losing my hair, which I hated,' she says. 'However, when people noticed and I got so many compliments, that in itself becomes addictive. Pair it with the fact you can see your waist emerging and going up and down stairs isn't as hard, it soon becomes something you can't imagine living without.'
Despite initial success with losing weight, by January this year Ana had gone up to a 15mg dose but, with less to lose, her weight wasn't dropping as quickly.
The side effects hadn't worn off either. 'I was getting stomach cramps and noticed I was being sick if I ate anything greasy or unhealthy,' she remembers. 'I had also lost around half of the thickness of my hair, which really upset me.
'My disordered eating came back, too. The injections curbed my appetite, but I was still ignoring any hunger pangs I did have, in the hope it would help me keep losing weight quickly.'
James begged Ana to stop and seek medical attention, but she stubbornly refused.
'My husband and mum were worried about the effect the jabs were having on my body and kept telling me I could go too far with them,' she recalls.
'James got particularly concerned when I started being sick. He hated seeing me poorly, but I can be really stubborn and the thought of gaining back everything I'd lost made me really worried.
'I knew I was looking better and liked the reflection I saw in the mirror. Losing weight impacts everything – how much energy you have, how you feel about yourself, I felt like my confidence was coming back despite the side effects.'
With over 7,000 complaints to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency about weight loss jabs, Ana says she had no idea in March this year she'd become one of over 500 hospitalisations because of them.
According to NHS Inform, common side effects of semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide include: constipation
diarrhoea
painful stomach cramps and abdominal pain
nausea and vomiting
headaches
fatigue
hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) changes to your vision
kidney failure
pancreatitis
problems with your gallbladder
an allergic reaction – such as a skin reaction to where the medication was injected
You should check the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine for a full list of side effects. If you're worried about side effects, speak to your healthcare professional.
'One afternoon in March, I started to feel really unwell and began throwing up. I couldn't keep anything down for hours andeventually called 111, who advised me to call an ambulance,' she remembers.
'It was awful and James was beside himself. When the paramedics arrived they told me to keep trying to drink but I just couldn't. I kept throwing up stomach acid, so my throat was burnt raw. I was taken to hospital for IV fluids and anti sickness treatments.'
The next day, Ana was discharged from hospital, but she says that exactly a month later, she started feeling the same.
Initially, she didn't make any connections to the jabs, but when she was hospitalised the second time, it crossed her mind and Ana mentioned it to the doctors looking after her.
'They said they couldn't 100% pinpoint it as the root cause, but advised me to stop taking them in case it was, so I did.'
Ana was sent home again, but spent the next five days being sick and was eventually admitted to hospital again. This time, she was diagnosed with hypokalaemia – an electrolyte disorder – and put on a potassium intravenous drip. If left untreated, hypokalaemia can lead to an abnormal heart rhythm, which can result in a cardiac arrest.
'It was horrendous,' remembers Ana. 'I was given various different drips and slowly got well enough to go home the following day – but during the night, I lost use of my limbs, which was terrifying.
'I couldn't move them and had no idea why. James had to hold a drink cup to my mouth but I still couldn't keep any fluids down. I was soon advised to go back to hospital, so my husband lifted me out of bed and in and out of the car.'
Ana was kept in for the night and given another two litres of intravenous fluids. 'It took two days in hospital before I could eat something and keep it down. Once the doctors were satisfied I could eat, I was released again to recover at home,' she says.
'That was only around six weeks ago and I'm still recovering from the trauma of it all. While I'm struggling emotionally, I'm doing much better physically. I've joined a gym and am doing weights and fuelling my body properly.
'I'm stable and haven't gained weight at the moment but emotionally I'm still pretty scared being off the jabs, as I don't want to put all the weight back on. It's a constant battle.'
While Ana's hair is still thin, her hairdresser has said now she's focused on getting better and eating right and exercising, it should thicken out again.
'It's been a really difficult experience. On one hand, yes, I look slimmer, but it's come at such cost and caused such worry to my family and loved ones.
'If anyone's thinking of taking these injections I'd say to make sure you're hydrating and eating, as hard as it is to do that. Nutrition is so important for every aspect of your health.' More Trending
As her recovery continues, Ana admits she's been tempted to start the injections again – but James and the memories of the hospitalisations has stopped her so far.
'It's unlikely I will – but it can be really addictive watching the number on the scales drop, hearing how amazing and different you look,' she explains.
'It's the pain and weakness that comes with it is keeping me from starting again. I know the hypokalaemia I had could have been so much worse so I won't take the risk again, my health is too important.'
Metro has reached out to Mounjaro for comment.
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