A mother of three has told how she almost died after injecting herself with a “skinny shot” she bought online.
Lynsay McAvoy, from Edinburgh, bought the jabs online in the hope of losing belly fat – despite weighing just 8g (51kg).
After losing around 3kg in just a few weeks, the mother of three ordered another batch of injections.
But then the 42-year-old beautician suffered a severe allergic reaction that caused her tongue to swell and her eyes to burn, causing her to faint.
After she was taken to hospital, doctors told her she had suffered a severe allergic reaction to the injections, which in severe cases could lead to organ failure.
She said she was “embarrassed” and warned that while the pens seemed like a “quick fix” they were “dangerous”.
Lynsay McAvoy, from Edinburgh, bought the jabs online in the hope of losing belly fat – despite weighing just 8g (51kg).
After losing around 3kg in just a few weeks, the mum-of-three ordered another batch of injections
Before going to work, she stabbed herself in the stomach (photo). But within seconds, her tongue was swollen, her skin itched and her eyes began to burn so badly that she had a hard time opening them.
Ms McAvoy bought a “skinny jab” online in April 2022 which was advertised as a diabetes drug that would cause weight loss.
Although it is unclear which drug Ms McAvoy thought she was taking, Ozempic has been available to diabetes patients in the UK since 2019, but can be prescribed off-label for weight loss.
However, due to increasing demand, fake versions are being promoted online After a number of celebrities credited Ozempic for tipping the scales, Wegovy, which contains the same ingredient but is made for weight loss, has become hard to come by due to shortages.
Ms McAvoy had hoped to lose a few pounds, which she said was “ridiculous” as she weighed just one eighth and had “nothing to lose”. However, she wasdissatisfied with the appearance of her body.
Ms McAvoy said: “I bought it online from someone, I didn’t look at it, I just trusted that person.”
READ MORE: Don’t use weight loss miracle drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy to combat Christmas “gluttony” as they don’t offer a “quick fix”, experts warn
Although Wegovy is considered one of the most effective pharmaceuticals to date, studies have also shown that Wegovy users can quickly regain the pounds when they stop taking the fat-fighting drug, and that it can cause a number of unpleasant side effects . Users often complain of nausea, constipation and diarrhea after taking the medication
They were worth about £50 for two weeks and you stabbed yourself every day.
“It worked well.” I did this for two months and it suppressed my appetite. “I didn’t eat that much, I lost about half a kilo.”
But once in two weeks her hands started to itch. She said the side effect decreased by one Antihistamine.
Ms McAvoy then ordered another portion in the hope of losing even more weight.
She said the injections looked the same as the first batch she bought and she stabbed herself in the stomach before going to work.
But within seconds, her tongue was swollen, her skin itched and her eyes began to “burn” so much that she had a hard time opening them.
Ms McAvoy said: “I knew I was having some sort of reaction so I took an antihistamine.”
“Then my heart started beating very fast and sweat poured down my face.
“I remember being on my hands and knees and my heart felt like it was going to explode, I knew something was wrong. ‘I thought I was going to die.’
Ms McAvoy said she blacked out and hit her head on the wall in her hallway, causing a concussion and a dislocated jaw.
“I walked out and disappeared about four times. I honestly thought I was on my way out,” she said.
She managed to call her mother, who lives in the next street, and an ambulance.
After being taken to hospital, Ms McAvoy said doctors told her she had gone into anaphylactic shock, her organs had begun to fail and she was close to death.
The life-threatening allergic reaction can be caused by medication, food or insect bites and causes swelling in the throat and tongue, difficulty breathing and fainting.
Treatment should begin immediately in the hospital, where patients can receive an epinephrine injection or drip, oxygen and fluids.
Ms McAvoy said: “I was scared and ashamed. I am a single mother with three children, I should have known better. I did not set the example I wanted to set for my children.
Despite tests, doctors could not figure out what ingredients were in the “skim shot” and said she was lucky to be alive.
But then the 42-year-old beautician suffered a severe allergic reaction that caused her tongue to swell and her eyes to burn, causing her to faint and hit her head (pictured).
After she was taken to hospital, doctors told her she had suffered a severe allergic reaction to the injections, which in severe cases could lead to organ failure.
She said she was “embarrassed” and warned that while the pens seemed like a “quick fix” they were “dangerous”.
British health authorities warned in October that fake versions of weight loss vaccines were causing dangerous side effects.
Ozempic and Wegovy are prescribed on the NHS to treat type 2 diabetes and weight loss respectively. However, Ozempic can also be prescribed off-label for weight loss.
The treatments stimulate weight loss by mimicking the effects of a hormone called GLP-1, which is released in the gut after you eat.
The hormone GLP-1 not only tells the pancreas to produce more insulin, but it also returns to the brain and makes you feel full.
But such medications are not without side effects. Users often complain of nausea, constipation and diarrhea after taking the medication.
Ms McAvoy is now warning others to avoid the “dangerous” vaccinations that almost killed her
Due to the huge global demand, counterfeit versions are flooding the market.
Officials said they seized nearly 400 potentially counterfeit Ozempic pens in 2023 and sent up to five Britons to hospital with life-threatening side effects.
Ms McAvoy said: “I thought it was for diabetics but we have no idea what was in it.”
“The doctors said the antihistamines I took initially could have saved my life. I feel lucky to be alive.”
She is now warning others to avoid the “dangerous” vaccines that almost killed her.
She said: “It makes me angry when I see people taking them or talking about them.”
“Everyone is so obsessed with their body image and I definitely fell into that category and it’s totally taken advantage of.
“Don’t do it under any circumstances, nothing positive can come of it.”
“It’s a quick fix, but dangerous: the syringe is meant for diabetes and is being used for the wrong purposes.”
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
