A healthcare worker says she “almost died” after using’skinny jabs bought over Facebook. Pasige Roberts fears the injections may have been laced with “cocaine” – as doctors warned her most counterfeits are now “just speed”.
The 24-year-old visited her doctors after becoming concerned about the ‘big bloat’ around her stomach caused by the hormonal disorder polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). She said she was told by her GP that she would have to lose weight before being referred to gynecology.
After setting herself the task of dieting and exercising over the next few months she says she turned to the medication after seeing little results. She began searching for skinny jabs on social media and says it was easy to find a seller.
She paid £80 for four injectables off a seller on Facebook after they promised to suppress the appetite. Paige, who lives in Llandudno, north Wales, told how the morning after using her first jab, she began feeling dizzy and nauseous and was soon unable to keep water down without throwing up.
After three days of vomiting, Paige went to hospital where she claims doctors suggested her jab could have been laced with drugs due to her dilated pupils and elevated heartrate. She says they told her that many counterfeits are ‘just speed’, however Paige fears it was cocaine.
Cocaine is a class A drug whereas amphetamines or ‘speed’ are class B drugs unless prepared for injection. In those cases they are reclassified as Class A and can sell for as little as £5 a gram in the UK.
Paige said: “I have PCOS and it causes a big bloat on my stomach. I don’t have periods at all. And I went to the doctors for some help and said I was struggling with my periods, my weight, and my bloating.
“I’m not a big girl but she said to me I would need to lose weight to be seen by a gynaecologist. I was about a size 14/16 so not the skinniest nor that big.
“It was just the bloating I didn’t like about myself. I did lots of exercise and dieting to try and lose this bloating but it wouldn’t go. Nothing was working. It looks like I’m pregnant. It can go but it takes a lot longer.
“So I went and had a look at these weight-loss jabs. I was seeing a lot of stuff about it on social media.
“I tried to buy them through Boots Chemists but I didn’t fit their criteria of being obese so couldn’t get the jabs. So that’s when I resorted to Facebook to find the jabs.
“And it was very easy to find. There were loads everywhere. I reached out to one page and they offered four jabs for £80. I didn’t have to tell them my weight or any details. It was so easy. They posted a lot of before and afters which looked really good.”
After placing an order, the injectables came in the post with a pre-made syringe, which Paige injected into her stomach on November 7. But the next morning, Paige said she began feeling noticeably unwell.
Paige said: “I was a bit hesitant to use them at first because they were in a syringe. But then I read some in chemists and pharmacies are in syringes so thought I’d give it a go.
“I felt fine, I did it at night time. I went to bed and when I woke up the next day, I felt like I had the flu and felt like I was going to be sick. I just thought because they’d warned that it could make you feel sick, I would ride through it. Every time I was drinking water, I was throwing up and I thought this can’t be right.
“I went to Manchester for a friend’s birthday and was so dizzy and couldn’t hold back any alcohol. I just drank water all day. I was constantly throwing up the water I was drinking. I was getting the train home when I started feeling much worse. My heart was racing, I was shaking, I couldn’t stop throwing up, I felt dehydrated. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I felt hungry but I couldn’t eat.”
Paige was rushed to hospital when her symptoms began worsening that night – where she claims doctors told her that the jab may have contained drugs. She said: “I felt like I couldn’t move, I had absolutely no energy, I was dizzy. I felt like I was going to collapse. We phoned 111 and they said there was a long wait in A&E so I thought I would ride it out until tomorrow.
“My mum drove me to hospital the next morning. They thought there could have been drugs in the injection because I had dilated pupils, I was glazed over, my heart rate was quite high.
“They said they see a lot of these jabs and said it’s normally speed. I think it’s more cocaine-based that’s found in these jabs. It could’ve potentially been laced with cocaine.
“I believe there was something in there and it could’ve been cocaine. It’s upsetting, it’s made me really angry that I was sold this. I will never use these jabs again. I would tell other people considering these jabs to really do your research and speak to doctors first.
“I could’ve easily lost my life. I felt like I was going to die. It was like I had been spiked.” Paige claims the seller blocked her on social media after she messaged her page to complain about the jabs and request a refund.
Facebook has been contacted for comment. In response to previous cases of skinny jabs being allegedly sold over their platform, a Facebook spokesperson said they do not allow the sale of pharmaceutical drugs and they remove violating accounts when they become aware of them.
They said they removed content about weight loss that contains a miracle claim and attempts to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift weight loss products, while content related to weight loss products is restricted for under-18s. They also said they were constantly working to get better at detection and urged people to report anything they think violates their policies, so they can review it and take action.