- British mom of one, Kathleen Smith, privately bought a GLP-1 medication to lose weight, but claims it made her hair fall out and gave her severe gastrointestinal problems
- While she did lose weight on the medication, Smith claims her hair is so thin it feels like it’s shaved into an “undercut”
- Even though she’s gained weight since stopping the medicine, she claims she still struggles with dizziness and hair loss
A woman who privately purchased an injectable GLP-1 weight-loss medication is claiming it made her hair fall out and gave her indigestion that smelled so “grotesque,” she had to leave the house to burp.
Kathleen Smith, 40, said she would eat six bags of chips a day and snack on a chocolate bar in the afternoon. So last September, when she hit approximately 175 lbs. and developed high cholesterol, Smith bought an injectable GLP-1 medication to lose weight, according to The Daily Mail.
She lost 10 lbs. in two weeks — but Smith claimed that side effects from the GLP-1 began quickly.
Kathleen Smith / SWNS
GLP-1 is shorthand for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists; examples are semaglutide and tirzepatide, which work in the brain to impact satiety. GLP-1 medications have become trendy tools for weight loss, however, Smith claimed the most noticeable thing she lost was her hair.
“At first [I] noticed it was coming out when I brushed it, and when I went [and] showered, the [drain] was getting blocked with hair,” Smith, who hails from the English town of Telford, claimed. “I have always had really thick hair but now, every time I put my hands through my hair it feels like I have got an undercut,” she added, referencing the style where the sides and back of the head are shaved.
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She also said that her hair is still falling out — and it was just one of the side effects she experienced.
The mom of one claimed her burps had a sulfur-like smell that was so powerful it was “embarrassing.”
“The stench was grotesque,” Smith claimed, saying her boyfriend “was heaving … I had to go outside if I wanted to burp.”
She also claimed she developed other gastrointestinal problems, saying she had “liquid coming out my bottom end” — and struggled with diarrhea “eight to nine times a day.”
Kathleen Smith / SWNS
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“I had really bad heartburn, and no hunger whatsoever,” claimed Smith, who said she her side effects worsened in December when she developed debilitating dizzy spells and blackouts. “If I was squatting down, when I would stand up, all the blood rushed from my head to my legs, and a black cloud would go over my eyes,” Smith claimed. “My head would drop, and I would have to sit down and wait for it to pass. It would happen three to four times a day.”
She decided to stop taking the medication in December, and although Smith has been off the GLP-1 injections for a few months, she told the outlet she still struggles with dizziness and hair loss. She also said she’s gained weight since stopping the medication and has resumed snacking, but added, “I wouldn’t go back on it.”