Suffolk woman using weight loss jabs says they've helped her regain control of her life
It comes as pharmacy leaders have issued a fresh warning over the online sale of weight loss jabs, saying there is still a risk to patient safety
A woman from Suffolk who lost 4 stone through the use of weight loss jabs tells us the medication helped her regain control of her life.
It comes as new figures show demand for the jabs was up more than one thousand percent in the first two weeks of January.
1523 patients received the jab in December, increasing to 3470 in January.
"It was the same 2 lbs coming on and off, so I got to the point where I thought I needed to do something."
Tanya Carroll tells us her difficulties with weight began at 21 years old, after she gave up up smoking and met her now-husband Martin.
Her size rose from a 10 to an 18, exacerbated by two pregnancies and the demands of university life.
By 2019, she had reached her heaviest weight of 17 stone (238 pounds).
Throughout those years, Tanya tells us she tried numerous diets but found herself caught in a cycle of yo-yo dieting: "I just found that I just wasn't losing weight. It was the same 2 lbs coming on and off, so I got to the point where I thought I needed to do something."
Tanya told us that she had become uncomfortable in her own skin and became incredibly anxious at the thought of photos being taken of her, especially at her sister's wedding, where she was the maid of honour.
"As an obese person quite often you don't like yourself in photos, it's certain angles. It's 'only from above. Please don't take my side profile'.
"I didn't feel I had any control at her wedding. We (the bridal party) were staying in the same apartment, so I knew we were all getting glitzy and I just didn't feel that I had anything nice to wear, although I was going to look nice. It's kind of sad that I felt that way, but I needed to do something."
This was what inspired Tanya and in July she began her daily walks before work, documenting her efforts on TikTok.
At the same time, she conducted thorough research and started taking the weight loss injection.
"I think the immediate feeling for me was the sense of control"
She told us she immediately felt the effects, feeling her appetite supress within 24 hours:
"Quite often you're thinking a lot about food and you don't realise it...
"Regarding my mental health, I suppose, just that control around what I was doing with my day rather than focusing it around meal times or snacking. (I could) go to the cinema in the evening and go out with friends. I wasn't thinking about a meal. I was thinking, 'oh, can we go and do something fun?'
"...There are things that I've done since starting Mounjaro I would have never done (before)."
Tanya told us that she did experience some mild side effects such as nausea, headaches, and bloating, but that these were manageable and similar to symptoms she’d faced previously without medication.
In her first four weeks on Mounjaro, Tanya lost 15 pounds and says she found a community through TikTok, connecting with others facing similar struggles which became a source of encouragement and inspiration for her.
"There's like this whole little community of people that previously have had such low self-esteem, including myself, low confidence levels, who avoided the camera and they are now putting themselves out there and feeling, 'actually I am a valued member of society'. I think that's so important."
Despite joking in the past about being “allergic to exercise,” Tanya’s perspective shifted. Her husband, a qualified personal trainer, had always been active, but Tanya never felt the post-exercise buzz others described.
Now, she walks daily—177 consecutive days at last count- and she even initiated an October squat challenge of 50 squats a day.
To date, Tanya has lost 60 pounds reaching 11 stone (154 pounds) and is now a size 10. She says her energy, motivation, and confidence have soared, and she now enjoys experimenting with new clothing styles.
"I'm 41 and probably the fittest I've been"
Tanya told us that she is now happy with her weight and is on a maintenance plan with the injection.
She understands it may not be for everyone but hopes people understand that it was the right choice for her: "Shouldn't we all be free to make our own choices as long as I'm not causing any distress or harm to anybody else?
"This is my body, and I feel that I am contributing more to my own life, my family's life and to other people."
She says she's more motivated to embrace life and take on all the opportunities it has to offer: "I haven't got the weight holding me down.... I think it's my life and I would like to live it in the best possible way.
"I'm 41 and probably the fittest I've been and healthiest in mind and in physical abilities."
Pharmacy leaders issue warning over online sales of weight loss jabs
This comes as pharmacy leaders have issued a fresh warning over the online sale of weight loss jabs, saying there is still a risk to patient safety.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has written to regulators calling for tougher rules following reports some online sellers have set targets for clinicians to process more than 20 patients every hour.
The NPA said it was also aware of people being wrongly prescribed the drugs who have previously had eating disorders, or whose body weight is already low.
The body, which represents independent community pharmacies, said a two-way consultation with the patient lasting at least 20 to 30 minutes is always needed rather than relying on online questionnaires to access drugs such as Wegovy or Mounjaro.
A person's medical history should also be examined before sellers decide whether or not to dispense a weight loss injection, and regular reviews must take place, it added.
"Not influenced by financial targets or incentives"
Nick Kaye, chairman of the NPA, told the PA news agency: "It is important that consultations with patients are thorough, allowing a clinician to gain a full picture of someone's suitability for weight loss injections as well as ensuring the patient fully understands the nature of the treatment and any potential side-effects it may cause.
"It is also important to ensure that clinical decisions regarding weight loss injections are not influenced by financial targets or incentives."
The NPA has written to the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) saying current rules leave the door open for medicines to be supplied without appropriate checks "and the risk to patient safety remains".
It said the regulator must require pharmacies to conduct a full two-way consultation, including gathering important medical information, for example through GP records.
The consultation between prescriber and patient could be via a face-to-face conversation or on the telephone, it suggested.