Woman Survives Near-Fatal Reaction to Unlicensed Weight-Loss Injection

Kay Roscoe, 38, from Birkenhead, described how she was found unresponsive at her home in October after taking an unlicensed weight-loss jab sold as retatrutide, or 'reta' (source ID: 1). On the day of her collapse, Kay had been due to go out for a roast dinner with a friend. Hospital tests confirmed Kay had suffered severe hypoglycaemia, a condition where blood sugar falls to dangerously low levels (source ID: 1). Kay said she has continued to suffer health problems, including extreme fatigue, and further tests had shown she had signs of liver damage and high cholesterol, neither of which she had before the episode (source ID: 1). [1]

Kay had started injecting herself with the substance about two months earlier. A former regular gym-goer, she said she was attracted to the prospect of quicker weight loss after seeing posts on social media (source ID: 1). Kay bought the jab from a friend and said she believed it was legitimate after scanning a QR code on the pen, which took her to what appeared to be a pharmaceutical website (source ID: 1). Initially, she was pleased with the results, saying she lost a 'drastic amount' of weight within weeks. But the injections had also significantly reduced her appetite (source ID: 1). [1]

In the days leading up to her hospital admission, Kay said she had eaten very little. She said she had no memory of the episode, and her friend told her she was found 'frothing at the mouth, not responsive at all' (source ID: 1). Kay said doctors warned her she could have died if her friend had found her just half an hour later (source ID: 1). Since sharing her story on Facebook, Kay said she had received messages from about 100 people describing their own experiences with weight-loss injections (source ID: 1). [1]

Kay Roscoe, 38, from Birkenhead, described how she was found unresponsive at her home in October after taking an unlicensed weight-loss jab sold as retatrutide, or 'reta' (source ID: 1). Kay had started injecting herself with the substance about two months earlier. In the days leading up to her hospital admission, Kay said she had eaten very little. She was discovered by a friend who had gone to check on her after she failed to answer her phone. Kay was found unable to speak or stand and was frothing at the mouth, with her eyes moving around but no responsiveness. Her friend called an ambulance and told paramedics she had been taking 'reta' before she was rushed to hospital. It took more than an hour for Kay to regain consciousness (source ID: 1). [1]

Hospital tests confirmed Kay had suffered severe hypoglycaemia, a condition where blood sugar falls to dangerously low levels. Medical records attributed the episode to an unlicensed weight-loss injection. Kay said doctors warned her she could have died if her friend had found her just half an hour later. In the weeks since, Kay said she has continued to suffer health problems, including extreme fatigue. She said further tests had shown she had signs of liver damage and high cholesterol, neither of which she had before the episode. Kay emphasized that she does not drink very much or smoke, and had never had a problem with anything like this before (source ID: 1). [1]

Kay had started injecting herself with the substance about two months earlier. A former regular gym-goer, she said she was attracted to the prospect of quicker weight loss after seeing posts on social media. She initially was pleased with the results, saying she lost a 'drastic amount' of weight within weeks. However, the injections had also significantly reduced her appetite. In the days leading up to her hospital admission, Kay said she had eaten very little. Kay bought the jab from a friend and said she believed it was legitimate after scanning a QR code on the pen, which took her to what appeared to be a pharmaceutical website (source ID: 1). [1]

Kay Roscoe, 38, from Birkenhead, described how she was found unresponsive at her home in October after taking an unlicensed weight-loss jab sold as retatrutide, or 'reta' (source ID: 1). On the day of her collapse, Kay had been due to go out for a roast dinner with a friend. When she failed to answer her phone, her friend went to check on her at home and found her unable to speak or stand. Kay said she was frothing at the mouth, not responsive at all, and her eyes were moving around, but she couldn't speak or move or do anything. Her friend later told her this, and she said she had no memory of the episode. Her friends rang an ambulance and told paramedics she had been taking 'reta' before she was rushed to hospital. It took more than an hour for her to regain consciousness (source ID: 1). [1]

Hospital tests confirmed Kay had suffered severe hypoglycaemia, a condition where blood sugar falls to dangerously low levels. Medical records attributed the episode to an unlicensed weight-loss injection. Kay said doctors warned her she could have died if her friend had found her just half an hour later. In the weeks since, Kay said she has continued to suffer health problems, including extreme fatigue. She said further tests had shown she had signs of liver damage and high cholesterol, neither of which she had before the episode. 'I don't drink very much, I don't smoke,' she said. 'I've never had a problem with anything like this. I just feel run down and drained. My body feels all over the place' (source ID: 1). [1]

Kay had started injecting herself with the substance about two months earlier. A former regular gym-goer, she said she was attracted to the prospect of quicker weight loss after seeing posts on social media. 'Going to the gym takes longer. I saw my friends on it and saw them losing weight. And I thought, everyone is taking it and they've all been fine, so I'll try it. I didn't really read into the licensing,' she said. Kay bought the jab from a friend and said she believed it was legitimate after scanning a QR code on the pen, which took her to what appeared to be a pharmaceutical website. Initially, she was pleased with the results, saying she lost a 'drastic amount' of weight within weeks. But the injections had also significantly reduced her appetite. 'I was made up with the change, but I was never hungry,' she said (source ID: 1). [1]

Sources

BBC UK

Prepared with AI assistance from the cited sources.