A 45-year-old mother who nearly died after injecting herself with a life-threatening dose of insulin thinking it was Ozempic is calling on the government and social media companies to crack down on the online trade of fake weight loss jabs.
Michelle Sword, a receptionist from Carterton, Oxfordshire, took Ozempic for the first time without any problems after receiving a prescription from a legitimate online pharmacy in early 2021.
Sword said she completed an online questionnaire and gave a false BMI that she knew would be appropriate for administering the drug. “I just told them what they wanted to hear,” she said.
The mother of two took Ozempic for about six months and said she didn’t experience any side effects. “I felt good. It felt great. I lost weight. My appetite was suppressed. I’m about a size 6 to 8 and the thinnest I’ve ever been,” she added.
In September, Sword, who suffers from low self-esteem, noticed she was overeating again and contacted social media accounts promoting Ozempic.
“At the time, I was literally seeing it on Facebook and Instagram and I could see people selling Ozempic and selling Saxenda.
“It was literally like you could keep buying expensive tanning creams and facial moisturizers or facials and pedicures. It was so easy. It was everywhere.”
She said she messaged a company called The Glam Tan Co and after a short exchange, which did not ask any questions about the medical exam, she transferred about £150 via PayPal and bought what she believed to be Ozempic.
in a message seen by I, Sword writes: “Hello, may I order something?” [Ozempic] One more Tanjab X, please. ” After a few minutes, the account replied, “Hello, of course, can I remind you of your address again? Please x.”
Sword said the drug was similar to the real Ozempic pen he had taken before. But as soon as she administered it, she started feeling very sick. She later discovered it was insulin, not Ozempic.
“Within about 15 minutes, 10 to 15 minutes, I felt very disoriented. I felt confused. I felt like I had just had a rough night drinking on the town. I was so lightheaded,” she said.
Mr. Sword was also “dripping with sweat” and his pupils had shrunk to the size of needle holes.
Sword’s 13-year-old daughter found him slumped on the couch and called her best friend, Vicki, who arrived within minutes and called an ambulance.
Paramedics spent 90 minutes trying to stabilize her, but were unable to administer any medication intravenously as her “vein collapsed”.
She was rushed to John Radcliffe Hospital under blue light, suffering a seizure en route and undergoing emergency resuscitation, with around eight A&E staff working “frantically” to save her life. Ta.
“Everything was starting to move…[It] It was killing me,” Sword said.
After her condition stabilized, doctors said Sword “almost passed away” and credited her daughter and Vicki with saving her life.
“Once I was stabilized, the doctors said I was lucky to be alive. I injected myself with 14/16 units of insulin and my blood sugar was 0.6, which was incredibly low. .”
Hypoglycemia (also called hypoglycemia or “hypoglycemia”) is usually a condition in which blood sugar (glucose) is less than 4 mmol/L.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) At least 869 potentially counterfeit Ozempic pens seized From January 2023 onwards.
A few people have also been hospitalized after using counterfeit pens.
Sword is now sharing her story in hopes of helping others.
she said: Everything was in my favor that night. Everything went as planned.
“That’s what I do to save other people’s lives and hope that the same thing doesn’t happen to other families and that no child loses a mother or father.”
Mr Sword said he took responsibility for his actions, but criticized unscrupulous sellers who took advantage of anxious people and sold products that “could cost lives”.
She also wants governments and social media companies to intervene to tackle this trend.
“As far as we know, this drug was still in its infancy, so I think we couldn’t ‘police’ who was getting it, who was taking it, who was getting it.”I think they are [the Government] need to see it. ”
She added: “I can’t believe Instagram and Facebook and places like this are allowing these people and hairdressers and hair salons to sell these things online.” .
A spokesperson for the MHRA said: “We are working with our partners to enforce UK law and stop illegal trade in medicines, including online.
“Websites based outside the UK are outside of our control. However, we continue to work with domestic and international partners to prevent unapproved medicines from entering the UK.
“We are working with social media providers, online sales platforms and internet service providers (ISPs) to quickly remove illegal medicines from sale wherever possible and identify those illegally trading medicines. Masu.”
Glam Tan Co and Meta have been contacted for comment.
Addiction charity sees more people asking for sterile needles after buying Ozempic on the black market
James Pearce, Humankind’s pharmacy and community support worker, said: I:
“We have seen several people participate in our needle and syringe program to obtain injection equipment, such as needles to inject Ozempic. Or you’re buying the actual drug in a bottle and injecting it without a prescription.
Pearce said he has spoken with colleagues across the country who are noticing the same trends.
“I want people to think about the fact that they got it online without a prescription,” he said.
People who use unsterile needles are at risk for hepatitis B, HIV, and other infections.
Pearce says, “If you’re just injecting yourself and you find yourself using your own needle all the time, the real risk is things like injury to the injection site because the needle gets dull quickly. , there can be bruising around the stomach and abdomen, where Ozempic is often injected.”
