Family of first Brit to die after using weight loss jab recall one heartbreaking side effect that contributed to her death
Rhianna Benson
Featured Image Credit: BBC
NHS nurse Susan McGowan began taking a prescribed drug which is known to cause weight loss earlier this year in a bid to feel more confident at special occasions.
Tragically, however, after administering just two doses of tirzepatide - known by its brand name Mounjaro, used traditionally to treat the symptoms of Type II diabetes - the 58-year-old died in hospital.
Now, Susan's niece is calling for further research to be made public about the risks that come with 'weight loss drugs', after one tragic side effect cost her aunt her life.
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Appearing on This Morning today (11 November), Jade Campbell described her aunt as the 'life and soul' of every gathering she attended, and 'is missed by a lot of people' at Airdrie's University Hospital Monklands, where she previously worked as a nurse.
Asked why Susan began taking the drug, Jade explained that she'd tried 'lots of different things' in the hope of shedding a few pounds, including Slimming World and attending the gym, but time often got in the way.
"She just wanted to look good for all those holidays and weddings that were coming up," she added, claiming that her aunt had spoken to both NHS colleagues and pharmacists about using an appetite-suppressing drug as a means of losing weight.
Following her first injection, the only side effect of the tirzepatide was a loss of appetite.
After administering her second injection the week after, however, Susan's health immediately began declining.
As well as suffering severe stomach pain, Jade says her aunt also suffered a total lack of thirst - something which sadly put her in hospital, where she'd spent her final days.
"She was struggling to hydrate herself, and that's what came out her first day in hospital. They said everything inside was bone dry," Jade explained.
"She didn't hydrate herself because she didn't feel that thirst during the second week. It was very, very quick."
Like the commonly-discussed drug Ozempic - which several celebrities have admitted to taking it recently in a bid to lose weight - tirzepatide's main function is to slow down your digestion.
Less severe risks include symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, bloating, flatulence, and heartburn.
On the other hand, the most severe side effects can include pancreatitis, vision changes, allergic reactions, fatigue or dizziness, gallstones, kidney issues, and thyroid tumours or cancers.
Sadly, in Susan's case, she was diagnosed with pancreatitis, as well as gall stones.
"She was angry at herself for taking them," Jade recalled. "She promised me on the Sunday, 'I'll never take them again, I promise I'll never touch them again, Jade, take them out my fridge and put them in the bin'.
"She was really upset knowing that's what caused it."
After Jade was told by A&E doctors that her aunt's kidneys were not functioning properly, Susan sadly slipped into a coma.
During this time, her organs began failing, and sadly, just days later, Susan died surrounded by her family.
Now, Jade is calling for further research on supposed 'weight loss drugs', claiming that if more information was out there about pancreatitis and gall stones in relation to administration of the substance.
"There wasn't a lot out there," Jade continued. "There weren't a lot of studies out there, and there wasn't a lot to know online.
"The studies are minimal right now about these injections."