A 42 year-old woman who took a weight loss jab was horrified when she looked in the mirror and saw she had developed two rows of jagged broken teeth.
Hope Lancaster Colquhoun said while the injection led to her losing nine stone, which helped her drop seven dress sizes, it came at a shocking cost.
‘The weight just slipped off me, but sadly, so did my teeth,’ she told The Sun.
The content creator, from Hebburn, Tyne and Wear, said her natural smile had always been a source of personal pride despite being mocked for her weight.
But she claims taking Mounjaro, dubbed the King Kong of weight loss jabs, resulted in her teeth snapping in half.
‘As I ran my tongue against the top of my mouth, I noticed a sharp, jagged edge,’ she said.
‘I looked in the mirror and was left horrified as not one, but multiple, of my teeth had completely snapped in half.’
Seeking medical help the mother, once cruelly called the ‘whale’ because of her size, was told the damage to her teeth was likely due her rapid weight-loss.
Hope Lancaster Colquhoun discovered she had two rows of broken teeth after losing nine stone from taking a weight loss jab. Pictured here with her husband Dean Colquhoun
The 42 year-old claims the horrifying side effects were a result of taking the Mounjaro weight loss jab
‘While I had lost weight, I had also lost such an important part of me,’ she said.
Later a dentist told her at least seven of her teeth would have to immediately be pulled out.
‘I sat in the chair, feeling sick to my stomach, as they yanked my natural teeth away,’ she recalled.
She was eventually given a partial denture fitted which she said made her ‘feel like a granny’.
Ms Lancaster Colquhoun also needed four fillings and has now spent over £3,700 on fixing her teeth.
Despite now needing dentures for life, she insists the taking the weight loss jab has saved her life.
‘I’d encourage people to consider the jab because of how life-changing it’s been for me,’ she said.
Experts warn weight loss jabs can increase a patient’s risk of dehydration, which as a consequence can reduce saliva production in the mouth.
Her ‘gnashers’, as she called them, and natural smile, had always been a source of pride
This in turn can increase the risk of tooth decay and gum disease, as saliva plays a vital role in washing away food particles and neutralizing acids produced by bacteria.
The loss of her teeth wasn’t the only negative side effect Ms Lancaster Colquhoun claims to have experienced from taking Mounjaro.
She also said that as she slimmed down she was left with large quantities of excess skin, she compared her stomach to ‘a bulldog’s face’.
Mounjaro is the brand name for tirzepatide, a weight loss injection which works by suppressing your appetite, making you feel fuller for longer.
Ms Lancaster Colquhoun, originally from Texas in the US, said she was prescribed the drug after battling with her weight for years.
She weighed more than 18 stone at her heaviest, wearing size 22 clothes, which left her in fear of being stared at or judged even at celebratory occasions like her sister’s wedding.
‘While everyone was getting their glam done, I was helping set up because, at that point, my looks didn’t matter,’ she said.
She also recalled being cruelly shamed on social media by total strangers.
‘Once, I got a call from my niece saying someone took a photo of me at our local grocery store and captioned it, “Whales shouldn’t be put in clothes”,’ she said.
Eventually the mental toll of fearing judgement over her weight left her afraid to leave the house.
Despite trying to lose weight by going to the gym, consulting with a dietitian, and other weight loss medications, she had little to no success.
It was only after she was rushed to hospital with ‘dangerously high’ blood sugar levels and was diagnosed with diabetes, that her doctor suggested Mounjaro.
Ms Lancaster Colquhoun described the positive effects of the Mounjaro jab which she was prescribed by private provider as ‘life changing’.
She also shared she ‘never felt more beautiful’ when she got married to her now husband Dean Colquhoun on April 17, 2024.
Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Mounjaro responding to Ms Lancaster Colquhoun’s story, said: ‘Patient safety is Lilly’s top priority, and we take any reports regarding patient safety extremely seriously.
‘Regulatory agencies conduct extensive independent assessments of the benefits and risks of every new medicine.
‘Lilly is committed to continually monitoring, evaluating, and reporting safety data to ensure the latest information is available for regulators and prescribers.’
To ensure you are getting ‘genuine Lilly medicine’ they advised patients consult their doctor or other health care professionals about any side effects.
