'I needed emergency gallbladder surgery after using skinny jabs - why you should avoid them'

Stephanie Hill decided to purchase a weight-loss injectable from an online pharmacy in October 2024 to be able to keep up with her kids and also ahead of her marriage vows renewal with husband Mark Hill.

After using the first GLP-1-class shot, the 40-year-old noticed a change in her hunger levels - shedding a whopping two stone by the time she was due to say “I do” again in December. But in January the mum-of-two was rushed to hospital after waking up in extreme pain down her right side. Fearing she was having a heart attack, Stephanie underwent a number of tests, which found five stones present in her gallbladder.

Doctors told the stay-at-home mum that her inflamed gallbladder was a direct result of her weight-loss injection use and told her to bin the jabs immediately. Appetite-suppressing injections can cause gallbladder problems because they can reduce the amount of a hormone called cholecystokinin, which is important for healthy gallbladder function.

Stephanie underwent emergency surgery to have her gallbladder removed in February due to the extent of damage apparently caused by the injection. Stephanie, from Paisley, Renfrewshire, said: “My main priority was to lose weight, I just didn't realise how quickly I would. Especially having young kids I wanted to catch up with them while out playing and not sit on the sidelines.

“I started taking the injectable in October thinking I wanted to look my best in my wedding dress. My main priority was to lose weight, I just didn't realise how quickly I would. Especially having young kids I wanted to catch up with them while out playing and not sit on the sidelines. I was 16st 8lbs so I was the heaviest I've ever been.

“I got chatting to a friend of mine who was using weight-loss injections and recommended it to me. It got to the point where I was struggling to get up the stairs to our top floor flat. I'd tried Slimming World, Weight Watchers and nothing had ever worked. We went to Majorca in 2023 and that was the last straw. I didn't get any pictures of myself, it led me to make the drastic decision of taking the jab. I researched it, joined online groups and everything was really positive.”

Stephanie ordered a four-week course of weight-loss jabs from an online pharmacy - paying £110 for the medication after providing details about her weight and GP. Within weeks of taking the jab, Stephanie noticed the weight was 'dropping off' after drastically reducing her food intake.

Stephanie said: “Looking back, I realise you could've made up anything to get the jab. I don't think they actually care who it goes to as long as they keep selling the product. The first few days after each injection I would feel incredibly sick, but I'd read about that already.

“As the week went on, I would feel incredibly full after just two mouthfuls and the weight literally dropped off me. I thought this was great. As the weeks went on I was feeling more and more lethargic, I was constantly sleeping. In the first week I lost seven pounds. All in all I lost three stone in three months.”

In January, Stephanie was rushed to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley after waking up with extreme pain on the right side of her body. There, tests revealed that five stones had formed in Stephanie's gallbladder - and the organ needed to be removed urgently.

Stephanie said: “The doctor said there was definitely a link between the gallbladder and weight-loss injections. He told me to immediately stop taking it. The consultant was concerned it was my pancreas and that would've been life threatening.

“Because I went from a very unhealthy diet to an extremely strict diet, all the bile in my bladder crystalised into stones then they were being released into my system and that was what was causing the issues. There's no words to describe the pain I would feel through these flare-ups. I went to hospital three times in one week with flare-ups. The worst one I had was when I was driving and luckily my husband was in the car, otherwise I would've crashed.

“The surgeon removed the gallbladder and told me it was full of lesions and inflamed. That was the only way to stop the flare-ups.”

After having her gallbladder removed last month, Stephanie is on the road to recovery - but is now warning others to steer clear of the injectables. Stephanie said: “I didn't realise how traumatic this was going to be, my life has been put on hold. Looking back, if I knew this I would never have taken it. I would rather have just been fat. It's just not worth it, do a lifestyle change, it's a safer option for your life. I've spent a lot of time feeling guilty putting my kids through the trauma as they also witnessed me in pain. I wish I hadn't put my family through this.”