A size-6 influencer who was sent free weight loss drugs in exchange for Instagram promotion says she accidentally overdosed on the skinny jab — and spent days vomiting blood, thinking she was going to die.
Leigh-Anne Lagden from Newscastle, England said she injected the “recommended” dose, but later learned it was five times as much as other women she spoke to were taking.
The 26-year-old had spent two days throwing up black vomit before going to the hospital, where she says she was hooked up to IV drips.
Lagden, who was a UK size 10 (US size 6) at the time, said she was sent the month’s prescription of weight loss injections to promote the brand in June after following the company on social media.
“I started taking them at the beginning of the year. They [the brand] got in touch with me after I followed them on Instagram,” she said.
“The injections didn’t cost me a penny,” she went on. “The page sent them to me and I was meant to be on them for a month as I was meant to be promoting their brand. It came in a liquid solution with a needle so you had to make it up yourself.”
Though Lagden didn’t indicate exactly which drug she took, compounding pharmacies have popped up to meet the booming demand for drugs like semaglutide, which is sold under brand names like Ozempic and Wegovy, and tirzepatide, which is sold under brands Mounjaro and Zepbound.
Meta, which owns Instagram, said they don’t allow the sale of pharmaceutical drugs on Instagram or Facebook and urged users to report any that they spotted.
Lagden said that the brand “recommended” a dose of 0.5 ml but immediately had horrible side effects.
“I was ill after the first [injection]. I was throwing up for four days nonstop straight after I took the injection. My vomit was black and I was bedbound,” she recalled.
When she started to vomit, she contacted the brand that sent her the injections but claims they told her it was normal to feel nauseous at first. But after she’d been sick for two days, she was urged by her mother to call emergency services.
“They sent an ambulance out to me. I wasn’t eating or drinking and I couldn’t keep everything down,” she said. “When I told them my sick was black, they told me it was blood. I was just throwing up blood. I thought I was going to die and I felt like I was going to die.
“The only thing I could keep down was [ice pops], so I was on these for about a week. I was sent home the next day, and then I woke up and my heart was beating so fast and I was rushed back into hospital. They asked if I was on any drugs because my heart was beating so fast,” she said.
“My bloods came back and they said they were off the charts and my liver was extremely abnormal. I think the reason I got so poorly was because I took five days worth in one hit. In the hospital they told me I overdosed but that is what [the Instagram page], told me to take.”
She claims the brand showed her no remorse and since reaching out to other female promoters, she now believes she was meant to only take 0.1 ml of weight loss solution per injection.
“The brand told me to take a 0.5 ml dosage so I took this on my first go, but after reaching out to other girls they said they were told to only take 0.1 ml. They made me take five times the amount,” she said.
“I looked up what the injections actually were and it’s for diabetic people, but they advertised it as weight loss injections.”
She says she continued to be sick for three weeks and reached back out to the brand on Instagram once she was feelin gbetter.
“[I] told them I couldn’t continue because I’d been really poorly and in [the] hospital. They just replied, ‘OK.’”
Meta said that they remove content about weight loss that contains a miracle claim and attempts to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift weight loss products. They said content relating to weight loss products and potentially dangerous cosmetic procedures is restricted for users under age 18.
Meta said they are constantly working to get better at detection and urged people to report anything they think violates the policies so they can review it and take action. However, the brand’s Instagram and Facebook pages are still active and promoting skinny jabs. The brand was contacted by Kennedy News & Media for comment but failed to reply.
Since the experience, Lagden says she would never use skinny jabs again and has now gone down one dress size by losing weight the “healthy” way and going to the gym. She is also urging other people not to purchase weight loss injections from anyone other than medical professionals and to do their research first before taking them.
Despite recovering from her near-death experience, she claims her liver function is still abnormal and she struggles to eat as it makes her feel sick.
“I’d never take these again. I’ve learned my lesson and am now losing weight the normal way by going to the gym and working out,” she said.
“I think that is why I’ve lost so much weight now, as I’ve been walking everywhere.
“I’ve still not really got my appetite back. I used to love eating but since taking these injections it has put me off. I would recommend people losing weight by eating well and working out instead of taking [what they think] is the easy way out.
“It may work for some girls if they were to actually take the legit stuff from the doctors. I went to the doctors and they said the reason we didn’t prescribe this is because you don’t need it.”
She also has some advice for other people struggling to lose weight.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. I thought I was big and needed to take these injections when in reality I was a healthy, normal size. Don’t be taking these weight loss injections off strangers on the internet. Do you research first,” she said.
