Hundreds of Britons are being rushed to hospital with serious reactions to weight-loss drugs, with cases surging by 46 per cent in just one month, new figures reveal.

Nearly 400 people have required hospital treatment since the rollout of medications such as Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Saxenda, according to data from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).


Until October 2024, hospitalisations over the previous six years stood at 279. However, in the four weeks to the end of November, an additional 118 cases were recorded, the Daily Mail reports.

Senior doctors have described this sharp increase as “alarming”.

Nearly 400 people have required hospital treatment since the rollout of medications such as Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Saxenda

PA

Around half a million Britons are now using these weight-loss medications, which can help users lose up to 20 per cent of their bodyweight within months.

The drugs are licensed for people with a BMI of at least 30. However, just five per cent of users obtain them through the NHS, while most are purchasing the medications privately, including from online pharmacies and social media platforms.

This includes individuals who are not overweight but seeking to lose a few pounds, despite the drugs being intended for those with clinical obesity.

Paige Roberts, a 24-year-old healthcare assistant from Llandudno, North Wales, said that she “almost died” after using weight-loss jabs purchased through social media in November.

Despite being only a dress size 14-16, Roberts was rushed to Glan Clwyd Hospital in Rhyl after experiencing three days of severe vomiting.

“I honestly felt like I was dying,” she said. “It was like the worst flu – my body couldn’t stop shaking, I had hot and cold sweats and couldn’t stop being sick. I couldn’t eat or drink.”

She spent a day in hospital receiving rehydration treatment and anti-nausea medication, while subsequent tests revealed her syringes contained high doses of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy.

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Chad Teixeira, a 28-year-old PR manager from London, was rushed to hospital by ambulance in July 2024 after collapsing from Ozempic side effects.

Teixeira experienced severe nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite after a private doctor increased his dosage.

“I had no help from my doctor when I went back to him and complained about the worsening side effects,” he said.

“They washed their hands of me, said it was “normal” and to drink more water.”

Doctors in Portugal, where he fell ill, diagnosed him with malnutrition and low blood sugar.

Most patients experience gastrointestinal issues including persistent nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, leading to “severe dehydration”, according to the MHRA.

Some doctors report seeing “serious, life-threatening complications” including seizures, bowel obstruction and inflammation of the pancreas.

Stock image of weight loss jabs from PA

Some doctors report seeing “serious, life-threatening complications” including seizures, bowel obstruction and inflammation of the pancreas

PA

The MHRA has warned that some patients have been hospitalised with “hypoglycaemic shock and coma” after using fake weight-loss drugs purchased online, which might have contained insulin rather than semaglutide, the regulator said.

The total number of suspected side effects reported to the regulator jumped 19 per cent in a month, reaching 17,831 by November’s end.

Dr Vicky Price, president-elect of the Society for Acute Medicine, warned: “I and many other colleagues in acute medicine across the UK are very concerned about the increasing numbers of patients we are seeing with complications.”

“We are seeing serious, life-threatening complications including inflammation of the pancreas gland and alterations in blood salt levels,” she added.

Meanwhile, Tory MP Greg Stafford, who is a member of the Commons’ health and social care committee, called for urgent action to “tighten the rules around accessing these drugs”.

He stressed these medications were a “vital tool” in tackling diabetes and obesity but would “only add to NHS waiting lists instead of helping to reduce them” if misused.