New mothers were today warned against taking weight loss measures after giving birth in a bid to get rid of their baby weight.
The drugs, including Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy, have been hailed as a monumental breakthrough in the war against obesity.
But a worrying new trend has seen postpartum women brag online about losing more than 20 pounds with the injections just weeks after giving birth.
Others have admitted to sharing drugs with other mothers “at the school gate” so they could put on the jeans they had before having a baby.
However, experts warned the trend posed a “real danger” to new mothers and urged women not to use the drug while breastfeeding.
Charlotte Griffiths, who has a BMI of just 21.7 (the lower end of the “normal” range), warned about the dangers of using the postpartum vaccine after accidentally overdosing on Wegovy with a friend. Pictured with his son James.
One of Ms Griffith’s friends told her there were pharmacists who could be persuaded to give her a prescription.
On Instagram, influencer Holly Connolly also shared how she wore Mounjaro to ‘feel better about (her) appearance’ after welcoming her daughter Cici in March 2023.
There are fears that the drug could pass to their newborns, with the risk of suffering as yet unknown complications.
Professor Alex Miras, an expert in endocrinology at the University of Ulster, told MailOnline: ‘These drugs are not a quick fix for anyone and should only be used long term by people living with obesity and its complications.
‘They should never be used solely for cosmetic reasons or by new mothers if they are breastfeeding.
“Theoretically, during breastfeeding, the medication could be passed to the child.”
However, it is worrying that experts still don’t know “what the possible side effects are because we don’t have data to tell us,” he added.
“Like any medication, for any disease, medical monitoring and supervision are vital.”
It comes as a mother-of-three, who has a BMI of just 21.7 – the lower end of the “normal” range – warned about the dangers of using the postpartum vaccine after accidentally taking an overdose of Wegovy with a friend.
London journalist Charlotte Griffiths told MailOnline they offered to share the vaccine on prescription as a “fun experiment”.
However, it was only after suffering “wild” brain fog, migraine symptoms and being “violently sick” three times that she realized she had taken four times the recommended starting dose.
He added: ‘Weight loss vaccines like Wegovy have been a hot topic of conversation outside my children’s school in west London for months – who uses them, what it’s like and, crucially, how to get them.
“Women get together when they want to lose a few pounds, maybe a few weeks before a vacation, without diet or exercise, and try ‘The Pen,’ as it’s known.”
Under NHS guidelines, injections should only be offered to people who have a BMI of at least 30 and a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
However, one of Griffith’s friends told him that there were pharmacists who could be convinced to give them a prescription.
Others had gone to private doctors, while some had managed to get it from online pharmacies by lying about their weight.
In an Instagram story also promoting the company where she bought the jabs, the mother-of-one said: “I feel fantastic in every aspect of my life.”
She said: “I appreciate this is not for everyone, however this is a highly reputable company that I trust implicitly, I would never share anything I haven’t had a positive experience with.”
Under NHS guidelines, injections should only be offered to people who have a BMI of at least 30 and a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
On Instagram, influencer Holly Connolly also shared how she used Mounjaro to “feel better about (her) appearance” after welcoming her daughter Cici in March 2023.
In an Instagram story also promoting the company where she bought the jabs, the mother-of-one said: “I feel fantastic in every aspect of my life.”
‘It has been a long, dark and lonely road to motherhood, but I have come out stronger and more daring.
“I appreciate this is not for everyone, however this is a highly reputable company that I trust implicitly, I would never share anything I haven’t had a positive experience with.”
She was responding to a follower who had thanked her for speaking out about Mounjaro and said: “I was feeling so depressed after gaining 60 pounds during my pregnancy and was so desperate to get back into size 10 jeans.”
‘When I saw that you had used it I felt more confident using something like that to help me.
“I’m now only 20 pounds away from my goal weight, which was less than I started with.”
And the phenomenon has become so common that forum users also share their experiences of trying weight loss punches.
In a Reddit group with more than 99,000 members, one said: ‘I’m four months postpartum and three weeks on Ozempic.
“My weight didn’t budge and I gained 70 pounds during pregnancy; despite having severe hyperemesis gravidarum, I had the worst of both worlds lol.”
They added: ‘I’m really happy with it and think it’s fantastic for the really challenging parts of postpartum life.
“I’ve already lost some weight in the first few weeks, it’s great to see the scale moving again.”
Another said: ‘I started about 8 weeks after my second baby was born.
“So far everything has been going well and I have lost 16 pounds.”
In a separate thread titled ‘Ozempic for postpartum weight loss’, one user wrote: ‘I gained 40 pounds, lost 20 in the six months after birth, and couldn’t lose the last 20 in my life, no matter what I did.
“I’m on week seven and I’ve lost 16 pounds.”
However, today experts urge women not to feel rushed to “recover” after having a baby, warning that they could be putting their own health at risk.
Huddersfield-based aesthetics practitioner and former NHS nurse Jen Vittanuova told MailOnline: ‘I absolutely understand the pressure many new moms feel to “bounce back” after having a baby.
‘But postpartum is a time to heal, not rush to lose weight.
‘Weight loss injections may seem like a quick fix, but they pose real risks: they disrupt hormones, affect blood sugar and cause dehydration.
‘For new mothers who need stable energy and mood, these side effects can be especially damaging.
“You need to give yourself time and space as your body heals, it’s a gradual journey.”
Professor Nerys Astbury, a diet and obesity expert at the University of Oxford, also told MailOnline: “Breastfeeding is also energy intensive, and trying to lose weight at the same time can affect milk supply and quality, and It could also affect new mother’s nutritional health.
He added: “Taking over-the-counter medications, including weight-loss injections purchased online, carries a risk.”
“If they are obtained online, patients’ doctors will not be aware and this could have important implications for treating any side effects they may experience.”
The pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, maker of semaglutide, also advises women to stop taking weight loss medications at least two months before a planned pregnancy.
Research in rats, rabbits, and monkeys has shown that weight-loss drugs could cause miscarriages and birth defects if taken during pregnancy.
According to the latest data, digestive problems were the most common side effects of tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro. These included about one in five participants who suffered from nausea and diarrhea, and about one in 10 reported vomiting or diarrhea.
The injections trick the brain into thinking it is full, which dramatically reduces appetite and prevents users from overeating.
But like any medication, injections can have known side effects that vary in both frequency and severity, such as nausea, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, stomach pain, headaches and dizziness.
Some patients have also suffered hair loss while taking them.
The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) also announced that as of August 16, 46 Britons had been hospitalized with “gastrointestinal reactions” related to the injections.
Fake versions, sold for up to £280 a pack, have also left patients fighting for their lives in comas.
Last week, Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced that the Government planned to offer weight loss injections to the unemployed in a bid to get them fit and back to work.
But yesterday it issued a joint alert with UK medicines regulators amid growing concerns that “serious medicines” are being abused by people wanting to lose weight for cosmetic reasons.
The health secretary said the injections should only be used by obese people who have failed to lose weight through diet and exercise, not those looking to “get a beautiful body photo for Instagram.”