Weight-loss jab 'defining moment' after yo-yo diet

A woman who lost four stone (25kg) on a weight loss jab said it had been "a defining moment" after decades of yo-yo dieting.

Claire Unwin, 47, from Bredon in Gloucestershire, started taking Mounjaro when her weight reached 16 stone (100kg). Side-effects have included hair loss and gastrointestinal problems, but she said these were outweighed by the benefits.

However, there is a growing number of patients who have experienced worrying symptoms. One woman said she suffered a suspected stroke after stopping Mounjaro suddenly.

James Hewes, a consultant bariatric surgeon in Bristol, said weight loss injections were "transforming the landscape of obesity", but proper monitoring was essential.

Unwin, a former veterinary nurse, said she had battled with her weight her "entire adult life".

But a watershed moment came 18 months ago, when she stood on the scales and was "shocked" at her weight. She was also prediabetic and had signs of fatty liver.

When a colleague mentioned Mounjaro, she said "something clicked" and she decided to give it a go.

"I get quite an upset tummy and need to rush to the toilet in the first two or three days after an injection," she said.

"But they weren't enough to stop it because the benefits were outweighing the negative side."

Unwin said her relationship with food had changed since she starting taking the jab and that it had been "a defining moment" in her life.

"All my life I have felt greedy; I would see people go out for a coffee and a cake and perhaps eat half the cake and say, 'oh, I don't want any more of that' and I'd think, 'what?'," she added.

She is now trying to reduce the amount she takes the drug, but she said it has been a challenge as her appetite keeps increasing.

According to the latest best estimates, by researchers from University College London, about 1.6 million UK adults have used weight-loss injections in the past year – mostly bought through private prescriptions rather than on the NHS.

Among this group, there has been a mixed reaction in terms of side-effects.

Emma, who did not want to give her real name, started taking the Mounjaro injection, approved by her GP, in April 2025 when she weighed 14 stone (94kg).

She said her appetite became so low that some days she had to "force" herself to eat. She also developed a sensitivity to certain smells, which caused her to "gag over small things".

"I was concerned for side effects as I had read and watched a lot of things on this.

"Different people have different side effects and some horror stories, however I did my best to stick to the advice and recommendations; a lot of hydration, protein, vitamin supplements and more nutritional food and lower sugar," she said.

However, Emma stopped taking the jabs suddenly last September and soon after collapsed at a bus stop with a suspected stroke.

She was eventually diagnosed with postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) - a condition where your heart rate increases very quickly after getting up from sitting or lying down, often making you dizzy or lightheaded.

"The doctors can't be sure that this was caused by the Mounjaro, however PoTS can be caused by triggers to the nervous system which may have been a result of suddenly stopping [the jab] instead of weaning off, which is recommended.

"I did not receive any professional help during my Mounjaro journey, but I do believe this would benefit a lot of people to possibly prevent them making the same mistake, or possibly worse," she said.

Hewes, who works for Verve Health Group, said patients should ideally be monitored by medical professionals, who are regulated by the Care Quality Commission.

"Patients need to be properly counselled and if there is any issue, it needs to be identified and signposted into the right treatment centres.

"The safest place for NHS prescription of these medications is through a weight management clinic with specialist endocrinologists, dietitians and physicians.

"But the provision for that is very lacking at the moment because a lot of these NHS clinics are closed to new patients," he added.

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