Last week, I made the difficult decision to share my own terrifying experience of experimenting with the Wegovy weight-loss vaccine in The Mail on Sunday.
Recently, while staying with a friend, I was convinced to try “The Pen,” which is what women my age call the injectable drug.
I thought it was funny at the time. It seems like everyone does it these days.
Also, although I’m not overweight at all (my BMI is 21.7), I thought it might help me get back into my pre-kids jeans.
It was a huge mistake. Within days of taking Wegovy, I was vomiting and suffering from debilitating migraines. At one point, I truly thought I might die.
Within days of taking Wegovy, the Mail’s Charlotte Griffiths was vomiting and suffering from debilitating migraines.
Richard Madeley, left, called Ms Griffiths, second right, an idiot on Good Morning Britain
These drugs have undergone years of trials proving that they are safe and highly effective treatments for those who need them.
The injections mimic the natural “appetite hormone” called GLP-1, which sends signals to the brain that the stomach is full. This also lowers blood sugar levels, which is why they are given to diabetic patients.
Studies show that obese patients who begin receiving GLP-1 injections see a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. Not to mention the fact that many lose up to 15 percent of their body weight.
For these patients, these medications can be life-changing.
But for healthy patients like me, there is no evidence that they are safe, or even that they work.
I still don’t know what I was thinking when I decided to try it.
So when, two days after my article was published, ITV’s Good Morning Britain asked me to come on the show and talk about my failed experiment, I was skeptical.
To be honest, I felt embarrassed at how stupid I had been. Not only had I taken someone else’s prescription medication without thinking about my safety, but it turned out that I had taken four times the recommended dosage to begin with, meaning I had basically overdosed.
And I did it only because I wanted to be a little bit thinner, even though I’m already pretty thin.
I wasn’t sure I could handle the added embarrassment of appearing live on television in front of millions of viewers and telling them about my stupid decision.
I knew that presenter Richard Madeley, who is not known for his natural friendliness, would not look kindly on what I had done. I was also told that the doctor who was due to appear alongside me, Dr Vicky Price, would probably criticise me for my actions.
One thing made me swallow my pride, though. Since writing the article, I’ve been shocked by the shocking number of women who have contacted me to tell me about their own experiences on Wegovy.
Many of them are already slim and healthy. Several had a horrible reaction to the medication like me.
Our editor-in-chief wanted to warn as many people as possible that the weight loss drug was not something they should experiment with.
I wanted to warn as many people as possible that this was not something they should experiment with.
The interview went exactly as I expected. Within 30 seconds, Richard Madeley had called me an “idiot.”
I found that a bit harsh. After all, Richard doesn’t know what it’s like to be a 39-year-old mother of three, who came of age in the 1990s, the era of “heroin chic,” when all women wanted to be stick-thin.
I also don’t expect you to receive targeted ads promoting these weight loss vaccines every time you log on to social media, as I (and so many other women) routinely do.
But I was left a little taken aback when even his lovely co-presenter Kate Garraway called me a “buffoon”.
Even Madeley’s lovely co-host Kate Garraway called Ms Griffiths a “buffoon”.
However, it wasn’t all bad. Dr Hilary Jones, the show’s GP, said I was “brave” for speaking out about my ordeal.
Dr Vicky Price, who I had expected to be scathing, was mercifully kind, saying she was simply concerned about the number of people turning up at NHS hospitals with stories “uncannily similar” to mine.
He also mentioned that some people experimenting with these weight loss drugs were experiencing pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), a serious condition that could be “life-threatening.”
This reinforced for me the importance of talking about this issue. It scares me that young women are putting their lives at risk just to lose a few pounds.
When she finished, Madeley apologized for her harsh words, but she was right.
I was an idiot to take Wegovy, and I think anyone else who is thinking of taking it just so they can fit into a bikini or a new dress is a fool too.
