Heart-breaking story: A wife’s weight loss plan turns fatal
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Content Warning: This article includes weight loss, drugs, and death, which may trigger readers. Reader discretion is advised.
For many individuals, achieving weight loss can be a challenging endeavour.
In a world filled with various fad diets and solutions promising easy and hassle-free ways to shed kilos, it's understandable why people are tempted to try them out.
However, trying fitness or weight loss solutions, are rarely ever without risks.
Roy Webster and his late beloved wife Trish excitedly anticipated the day their daughter would get married.
To look her best on her daughter’s special day, Trish began taking drugs prescribed for weight loss, such as Ozempic—a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes whose active ingredient semaglutide has the side effect of curbing appetite—and Saxenda.
At first, there was a promising outcome: Trish lost 16 kilos.
But Webster soon noticed that while Trish dropped a lot of weight, she was also frequently unwell.
This concerning trend lasted until her untimely demise five months after she began taking the medication.
‘I couldn't save her, that's the hard part,’ he said.
‘If I knew that could happen, she wouldn't have been taking it.’
He told the story of his wife passing away in his arms.
‘She had a little bit of brown stuff coming out of her mouth, and I realised she wasn't breathing and started doing CPR,’ Webster said.
‘It was just pouring out, and I turned her onto the side because she couldn't breathe,’ he added.
'I never thought you could die from it,' he said.
Trish’s death certificate stated that her cause of death was an acute gastrointestinal illness. Webster believed that the drugs contributed to Trish’s death, and he urged everyone else to think twice before taking them.
Endocrinologist Dr Kathryn William said that there is ‘growing evidence the active ingredient in drugs like Ozempic can cause digestive complications’.
She said, ‘When we prescribe them, we warn people.’
‘So if I say to someone, “Yes, it might be that you do vomit once or twice, but if you are having recurrent vomiting, you need to let me know, and you need to stop the medication,”’ she added.
Demand for Ozempic, spurred partly by rave social media reviews endorsing its quick weight loss success stories, caused a global shortage, and people with diabetes are having a hard time getting this drug.
In Australia, the buzz surrounding the drug was so intense that the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) even stepped in at one point to investigate so-called ‘influencers’ online trumpeting Ozempic’s effects.
Tim Doyle, the director of Juniper (the single biggest provider of Ozempic), admitted that his company gets $150 million a year because of Ozempic.
However, he also said that while there is a robust screening process, people 'exploit the gaps in the system'.
Novo Nordisk—the manufacturer of Ozempic—stated that stomach complication ileus was reported after its ‘post-marketing setting.’ They also said that they only became aware of this problem after the drug was released.
Ileus is a medical condition that occurs when there is a blockage or impairment in the normal movement of food, fluids, and gas through the intestines. It can happen in either the small intestine or the large intestine.
After two recent deaths in the US, the Food and Drug Administration has updated the information on Ozempic and similar weight loss drugs to include warnings about ileus.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is currently investigating local cases of Ozempic’s and other drugs’ side effects and is encouraging anyone with concerns to report them.
Webster also called for a coronial inquest to examine his wife's death and hopes that by sharing this warning, it'll help others in time.
'She shouldn't be gone, you know,' he said. 'It's just not worth it, it's not worth it at all.'
In a previous article, a social media trend dubbed this chemical is considered ‘nature’s own Ozempic.’ But does it help lose weight? Learn more about it here.
Members, always consult with your GP before taking any medications or weight loss programs.
What are your thoughts on this story? Let us know in the comments below.
For many individuals, achieving weight loss can be a challenging endeavour.
In a world filled with various fad diets and solutions promising easy and hassle-free ways to shed kilos, it's understandable why people are tempted to try them out.
However, trying fitness or weight loss solutions, are rarely ever without risks.
Roy Webster and his late beloved wife Trish excitedly anticipated the day their daughter would get married.
To look her best on her daughter’s special day, Trish began taking drugs prescribed for weight loss, such as Ozempic—a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes whose active ingredient semaglutide has the side effect of curbing appetite—and Saxenda.
At first, there was a promising outcome: Trish lost 16 kilos.
Trish used Ozempic as her ‘weight loss drug.’ Credit: Ozempic
But Webster soon noticed that while Trish dropped a lot of weight, she was also frequently unwell.
This concerning trend lasted until her untimely demise five months after she began taking the medication.
‘I couldn't save her, that's the hard part,’ he said.
‘If I knew that could happen, she wouldn't have been taking it.’
He told the story of his wife passing away in his arms.
‘She had a little bit of brown stuff coming out of her mouth, and I realised she wasn't breathing and started doing CPR,’ Webster said.
‘It was just pouring out, and I turned her onto the side because she couldn't breathe,’ he added.
'I never thought you could die from it,' he said.
Trish’s death certificate stated that her cause of death was an acute gastrointestinal illness. Webster believed that the drugs contributed to Trish’s death, and he urged everyone else to think twice before taking them.
Endocrinologist Dr Kathryn William said that there is ‘growing evidence the active ingredient in drugs like Ozempic can cause digestive complications’.
She said, ‘When we prescribe them, we warn people.’
‘So if I say to someone, “Yes, it might be that you do vomit once or twice, but if you are having recurrent vomiting, you need to let me know, and you need to stop the medication,”’ she added.
Demand for Ozempic, spurred partly by rave social media reviews endorsing its quick weight loss success stories, caused a global shortage, and people with diabetes are having a hard time getting this drug.
In Australia, the buzz surrounding the drug was so intense that the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) even stepped in at one point to investigate so-called ‘influencers’ online trumpeting Ozempic’s effects.
Tim Doyle, the director of Juniper (the single biggest provider of Ozempic), admitted that his company gets $150 million a year because of Ozempic.
However, he also said that while there is a robust screening process, people 'exploit the gaps in the system'.
Novo Nordisk—the manufacturer of Ozempic—stated that stomach complication ileus was reported after its ‘post-marketing setting.’ They also said that they only became aware of this problem after the drug was released.
Ileus is a medical condition that occurs when there is a blockage or impairment in the normal movement of food, fluids, and gas through the intestines. It can happen in either the small intestine or the large intestine.
After two recent deaths in the US, the Food and Drug Administration has updated the information on Ozempic and similar weight loss drugs to include warnings about ileus.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is currently investigating local cases of Ozempic’s and other drugs’ side effects and is encouraging anyone with concerns to report them.
Webster also called for a coronial inquest to examine his wife's death and hopes that by sharing this warning, it'll help others in time.
'She shouldn't be gone, you know,' he said. 'It's just not worth it, it's not worth it at all.'
In a previous article, a social media trend dubbed this chemical is considered ‘nature’s own Ozempic.’ But does it help lose weight? Learn more about it here.
Members, always consult with your GP before taking any medications or weight loss programs.
What are your thoughts on this story? Let us know in the comments below.
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