A woman has told how she felt like she was being ‘ripped open by a knife’ after taking blockbuster weight loss jab Mounjaro for the first time.
In a bid to shed a few pounds and combat her type 2 diabetes diagnosis, Karen Coe, from Hailsham in East Sussex, was prescribed the drug on the NHS.
Yet, immediately after taking her first injection on March 14, the 59-year-old claimed she began suffering dizziness and headaches.
Just three days later Ms Coe, who is a size 20, woke suddenly at 5am with ‘excruciating’ stomach pain and diarrhoea.
Despite rushing to A&E, she said she was told her observations — which include signs like heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, and oxygen levels — were ‘all ok’ and she was discharged.
It was only when she suffered a ‘massive blood clot’ a week later that she attended hospital again and was referred for further testing.
Here, she claimed surgeons told her that her symptoms were likely caused by Mounjaro.
The ingredient tirzepatide, available as Mounjaro, has been hailed as the ‘King Kong’ of slimming jabs and a breakthrough in the war on obesity — more effective for shifting the pounds than similar drugs like Ozempic.
In a bid to shed a few pounds and combat her type 2 diabetes diagnosis, Karen Coe from Hailsham in East Sussex, was prescribed Mounjaro on the NHS
Administered weekly, it is designed to help type 2 diabetes patients control their blood sugar levels or for obese people to lose weight for health purposes.
However, the injections are known to cause worrying side effects such as pancreatitis — when the pancreas suddenly becomes inflamed — or gastrointestinal issues.
Recalling her ordeal, Ms Coe — an activities co-ordinator — said after injecting her first dose: ‘At first I had a headache and got dizzy. I had a few stomach cramps.
‘On Monday [March 17] it was excruciating. It was like being ripped open with a knife.’
‘I nearly passed out. I had to ask my husband to call for an ambulance.
‘I was dizzy and really cold. But they [the doctors] then did my observations and said it was all ok.’
Ms Coe said she had previously tried metformin to treat her diabetes but had struggled with diarrhoea.
After hearing success stories from friends about Mounjaro she spoke to her diabetic nurse and was prescribed the jabs.
Yet, immediately after taking her first injection on March 14, the 59-year-old claimed she began suffering dizziness and headaches
Just three days later Ms Coe, who is a size 20, woke suddenly at 5am with ‘excruciating’ stomach pain and diarrhoea
She said she was made aware of common side effects including nausea, diarrhoea and stomach discomfort, but didn’t know she would have such an extreme reaction.
After attending hospital initially, she also claimed she was told to keep an eye on her symptoms.
But after experiencing the blood clot, she was then referred on an urgent two week pathway to see a colorectal surgeon.
‘Every few minutes I would go to the loo and pass blood,’ she said.
Her symptoms have now begun to subside but she has been left weak and unable to eat, she added and won’t be continuing to injections.
‘It can cause severe reactions and severe side effects,’ Ms Coe said.
‘People should really think carefully and don’t take it lightly.’
It comes as a a Mail on Sunday investigation in January revealed almost 400 Brits had been hospitalised — some with life-threatening complications — since the rollout of jabs such as Wegovy, Mounjaro and Saxenda.
Most of the reactions were gastrointestinal issues such as persistent nausea and diarrhoea, which leave some patients with ‘severe dehydration’.
But some doctors warned they were seeing patients with ‘serious, life-threatening complications’ including seizures, bowel obstruction and inflammation of the pancreas, known as pancreatitis.
US pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly, who manufactures Mounjaro, said: ‘Patient safety is Lilly’s top priority. We take any reports regarding patient safety extremely seriously and actively monitor, evaluate, and report safety information for all our medicines.
‘The Mounjaro (tirzepatide) Patient Information Leaflet warns that various gastrointestinal side effects — including nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain, and constipation — are common or very common side effects.
‘We encourage patients to consult their doctor or other healthcare professional regarding any side effects they may be experiencing and to ensure that they are getting genuine Lilly medicine.’
At least half a million NHS patients and some 15million in the US are now thought to be using weight loss jabs, which can help patients lose up to 20 per cent of their bodyweight in just a few months.
They have also been shown to significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
However, other reported problems using the jabs include constipation, fatigue, headaches, dizziness and even hair loss.
Under official guidelines, only patients who have a body mass index (BMI) of over 35 and at least one weight-related health problem like high blood pressure, or those who have a BMI of 30 to 34.9 and meet the criteria for referral to a specialist weight management service, should be prescribed weight loss jabs.
In the UK, law forbids the sale of such drugs without a prescription from a medical professional.
Last year, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) also warned that scam online retailers posing as pharmacies were targeting vulnerable patients and may even be selling contaminated versions of the blockbuster injections.
