Carterton woman urges caution over unlicensed weight loss jabs after near-death experience
Michelle Sword warns about the dangers of fake drugs as pharmacists reveal a rise in people taking risks
An Oxfordshire mum-of-two is urging people to be careful when buying weight-loss injections after her experience with a counterfeit jab left her fighting for her life.
Michelle Sword, a receptionist from Carterton, was sent into a diabetic coma after taking an unregulated weight-loss injection she purchased online.
She had gone through a spell of taking Ozempic in 2020 while feeling self-conscious about her weight and said he had a great experience – continuing to go to the gym and keeping a healthy lifestyle even after she stopped the injections.
However, in 2023 Michelle said she “had a wobble” and wanted to try weight loss medication again, except this time there was a shortage of Ozempic.
She said once she had got the idea, she kept seeing advertisements for weight loss jabs on her phone and many of them were now from beauty companies rather than pharmacies.
“I just was a bit naive really and just thought, I'm going to order it. So I went online and I ordered it from this lovely looking website that had promised the quick weight loss and because I've had it before, I don't think I was as cautious as I should have been,” Michelle said.
After the package arrived, Michelle administered her first dose and her condition quickly deteriorated.
She described feeling warm and disorientated before slipping in and out of consciousness.
Her daughter, noticing something was wrong, called Michelle’s best friend, who then rang 999.
“I was blue lighted to the John Radcliffe Hospital. On the way, I took a turn for the worst and by the time I got to hospital, I was rushed into resus and they had to fight to save my life,” Michelle said.
Doctors later discovered that the substance she had been supplied with was insulin, which caused her blood sugar levels to crash and triggered a diabetic coma.
Hoping to prevent others from making a similar mistake, Michelle decided to raise awareness about the dangers of counterfeit weight-loss jabs.
She spoke about red flags when buying weight-loss medication online and criticised those selling unregulated products for “preying on people’s insecurities.”
Michelle’s warning comes as new data highlights rising concerns over risky weight-loss jab use in the UK.
Research by Lloyds Pharmacy Online Doctor has found that 1 in 4 Brits using weight loss jabs admitted to purchasing medication from unlicensed sellers, such as social media platforms or the dark web.
Others said they’ve tried untested alternatives to make the medication more affordable as prices soar and budgets tighten after Christmas.
Michelle says she is not against the use of weight-loss jabs if they boost confidence, but advises people to be cautious about what they purchase.
“If it's too easy, there'll be a reason why. This is a regulated drug, so questions should be asked," she said.
“Do your research, ask people and make sure you're using a reputable company.”