A woman was forced to have an organ removed after a year of using Mounjaro.
Julie Reilly started taking the weight loss drug in August 2024 due to being ‘overweight’ and was able to drop four stone over the last year.
Before the 57-year-old began the injections, she had occasionally been experiencing stomach pains but these were dismissed by doctors as the ‘menopause’.
"Everything that you get gets blamed on menopause symptoms. That's what they told me at first when I started getting these pains in my stomach,” the mum from Birmingham claimed.
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"In August of last year, I decided to go on Mounjaro. I think it exacerbated it. I've never experienced pain like this, I was literally rolling on the floor, couldn't stand up. Stabbing pain, violent fatigue."
As Julie was left in agony in January this year, she was rushed to A&E and a referral for an ultrasound revealed several gallstones in May.
And after a series of infections, she had to have her gallbladder removed in August.
While she did have some symptoms before using it, the professional baker reckons the Mounjaro made her condition worse, as she’s since discovered it can cause gallstones.
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The information leaflet for the medication warns that gallstones are a ‘common’ side effect, and may affect ‘up to one in 10 people’, while infection of the gallbladder may affect one in 100.
But while this warning is in the leaflet, Julie claimed if it had been explained more clearly to her she never would have used the jabs.
“They don't ask if you have any gallbladder issues [before you take the jab],” she said.
"When you take medication there's everything on there [in the information leaflet], reactions and things like that, I think there's not enough of those on there if I'm honest.
"When I asked one of the doctors they said it [illnesses like this] is caused by rapid weight loss. In proportion to my body, I have lost a lot of weight because I've lost four stone.”
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But despite having lost her gallbladder, Julie is still using the jabs so she can complete her last few weeks of the course.
"I have four weeks left on this last one [of Mounjaro] and then I'm coming off. I'm only small so being a 12 stone woman was a lot. People say I don't even look like the same person,” she added.
A spokesperson for Lilly, who manufacture Mounjaro, said: "Patient safety is Lilly's top priority.
"We take any reports regarding patient safety extremely seriously and actively monitor, evaluate, and report safety information for all our medicines. The Mounjaro (tirzepatide) Patient Information Leaflet warns that gallstones is a common side effect when used for weight management, and an uncommon side effect when used for type 2 diabetes.
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"We encourage patients to consult their doctor or other healthcare professional regarding any side effects they may be experiencing and to ensure that they are getting genuine Lilly medicine."
Jess Battison