Woman who took Mounjaro reveals the brutal side effects she suffered after just days

Weight loss drugs have shot to prominence in recent years but one woman has spoken out at how ‘her life fell apart’ due to the side effects of one.

A 37-year-old British woman has spoken about the side effects she experienced after being prescribed a weight loss drug by her doctor.

The woman, whose name was changed to Charlotte Lloyd to protect her identity, initially began to gain weight while undergoing fertility treatment and her BMI had reached a level that qualified her for a weight loss drug.

She was prescribed Mounjaro, one of many GLP-1 drugs that was designed to help people with Type-2 diabetes, however, in some cases has been prescribed due to its ability to aid weight loss.

For Lloyd, while her dose did suppress her appetite, she also experienced some rather rough side effects.

Speaking to the Times, she said: “I almost immediately lost my appetite but also lost interest in everything. It was clear to me there was a pronounced mental effect, not just physical.”

The listed side effects of tirzepatide (Mounjaro), according to the Cleveland Clinic are well documented, however, some are more severe than others.

A British said she experienced severe side effects that massively changed her life(Getty Stock Image)

The lesser side effects of Mounjaro

Some of the lesser side effects that may not require medical attention include:

• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Loss of Appetite
• Nausea
• Stomach pain
• Upset stomach
• Vomiting

The more serious side effects of Mounjaro

According to the clinic, these side effects should be reported to your care team as soon as possible.

• Allergic reactions—skin rash, itching, hives, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat
• Change in vision
• Dehydration—increased thirst, dry mouth, feeling faint or lightheaded, headache, dark yellow or brown urine
• Gallbladder problems—severe stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, fever
• Kidney injury—decrease in the amount of urine, swelling of the ankles, hands, or feet
• Pancreatitis—severe stomach pain that spreads to your back or gets worse after eating or when touched, fever, nausea, vomiting
• Thyroid cancer—new mass or lump in the neck, pain or trouble swallowing, trouble breathing, hoarseness.
  

  The woman eventually went to the hospital after explaining she hadn't been able to sleep (Getty Stock Image)

What side effects did Charlotte Lloyd experience from taking Mounjaro?

For Lloyd, only 3 days after taking her first weekly 2.5mg dose, she began to notice that her sleep was deteriorating.

She explained: “The wheels completely fell off.

“I stopped sleeping altogether. I tried sleeping pills, antihistamines — nothing worked. I may as well have been eating sweets. After two nights awake I started to feel like I was losing my mind.”

According to the Times report, in the UK there are no such warnings of anxiety, panic attacks, depression, thoughts of suicide or insomnia as a side effect of taking Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro.

Despite this, Lloyd was able to join a Facebook group with 2000 members that was for ‘anyone who is experiencing anxiety, panic attacks and mental health changes as a result of taking GLP medications’.

Three days after she began experiencing symptoms, Lloyd went to accident and emergency at the hospital to speak to a doctor.

She was told that her heart was above the normal resting heart rate for an adult (60 to 100 beats a minute) as hers was recorded at 105bpm.

The British woman claimed that the adverse impact of the drug ultimately resulted in her life falling apart (Getty Stock Image)

However, she was unable to be prescribed any more sleeping medication and as her rhythm wasn’t irregular she was discharged.

She said the side effects got so bad she couldn’t concentrate at work, her relationship ended and she said ultimately 'my life just fell apart'.

Manufacturer's response

UNILAD has contacted Mounjaro’s manufacturer, Eli Lilly and Company, for comment.

A Novo Nordisk spokesperson, the company behind Ozempic and Wegovy, spoke to UNILAD about the potential side effects of weight loss drugs.

They said: “Patient safety is a top priority for Novo Nordisk and we take all reports about adverse events from the use of our medicines very seriously. We recommend that patients take these medications for their approved indications and under the supervision of a healthcare professional.

“We continuously collect safety data on our marketed GLP-1 RA medicines and work closely with the authorities to ensure patient safety. As part of this work, we continue to monitor reports of adverse drug reactions through routine pharmacovigilance.

“We recommend that any patients experiencing side effects while taking GLP receptor agonists including Wegovy® or Ozempic® report them to their healthcare provider and via the MHRA Yellow Card scheme: https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/.”