When Shona, a 54-year-old mother of four, started using the weight-loss injection Mounjaro, she never imagined it would lead to something much darker. In just five months, she dropped 17kg and was back to her slimmest weight in years. “I couldn’t believe how fast it worked,” she told the Daily Mail. “For the first time in ages, I felt good looking in the mirror,” she further said. But what began as a dream transformation soon spiralled into something serious. One day, while on a trip, Shona found herself purging in a public bathroom after eating a pastry.
“I felt so ashamed. I’m 54, and I’ve never made myself sick before. But it suddenly felt like the only way to stay in control,” she told the Daily Mail.
Weight loss injections and their side effects
Mounjaro, originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, is now being widely used for weight loss. Like Ozempic, another popular injection, it works by reducing hunger and helping people feel full longer. But now, experts are worried that these injections may be affecting more than just the body.
“I was never obsessed with food before,” Shona told the Daily Mail. “But after the injections, it was all I could think about. I started eating as little as 500 calories a day just to stay thin,” she further added in the conversation.
Though she began using the jab to feel healthier, she admits it triggered something in her mentally. “When the appetite-suppressing effect wore off, I panicked. I started skipping meals, then purging. I’d plan my day around how little I could eat,” she told the Daily Mail.
Experts raise red flags
Doctors are beginning to notice more cases like Shona’s. In fact, a US-based expert, Dr Elizabeth Wassenaar, recently said that up to 30 per cent of middle-aged women who take weight-loss drugs may show signs of disordered eating.
“These drugs change your relationship with food,” says Dr Tom Hildebrandt, who specialises in eating and weight disorders. “They can trick your brain into thinking your body is starving. That can lead to obsessive behaviour, even in people with no history of eating issues.”
Shona agrees. “It started out as just wanting to lose a bit of weight. But then, I didn’t want to stop. I started purging even before I ate, thinking ‘it’s fine, I can get rid of it later.’ That’s when I realised something was wrong.”
‘I had to lie to get the drug’
Shona admits in the conversation with The Daily Mail that she didn’t qualify for the drug through regular channels, so she slightly changed her weight details on an online form. “I knew my BMI wasn’t high enough, but I fudged the numbers. It was shockingly easy,” she told the Daily Mail.
She ended up spending more than Rs 90,000 (777 pounds) on Mounjaro injections over several months. “It felt worth it when I saw the results. But now, I’m not so sure,” she further added.
‘I’m scared the weight will come back’
As per the Daily Mail, Shona says her family has been supportive, her husband and three daughters are encouraging her to stop the injections and focus on healing. “They want me to be healthy, not just thin,” she told the Daily Mail.
She has one dose left of Mounjaro and plans to stop. But she’s scared. “I’m terrified the weight will pile back on. I don’t know if I can handle it,” she added.
Her goal now is to rebuild a healthier relationship with food and body image. “I’ve joined the gym with my daughter. My husband is trying to get me to run with him, though I’m not thrilled about that part,” she said.
Mounjaro and similar weight-loss jabs are showing powerful results, but the mental health impact can be serious.
“These drugs aren’t magic,” says Dr Hildebrandt. “They can help with weight loss, but they can also open the door to disordered thinking around food.”
Shona told the Daily Mail that she got the body she wanted, but it came at a cost. Now she just wants to feel normal again.
