A seven-year-old girl was hospitalized after mistakenly taking her mother’s weight loss injection, thinking it would relieve her stomach ache. The medication, known as GLP-1 or Ozempic/Mounjaro, is commonly used to manage Type 1 diabetes and aid in weight loss.
Jessa Milender, now eight years old, unknowingly administered 60 percent of a prefilled GLP-1 injector pen, leading to severe health concerns and days of hospitalization. Believing it was stomach medicine, Jessa from Indiana, US, shared her experience with WHAS-11 following the December 2024 incident.
Upon discovering her daughter’s actions, Melissa immediately contacted the poison center and took Jessa to the hospital, where she received IV treatment for symptoms like dehydration and vomiting.
The medication functions by mimicking the body’s natural hormones to suppress appetite and promote prolonged satiety. However, like all drugs, it can result in side effects such as vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea.
Melissa expressed surprise at the severity of Jessa’s condition, as her symptoms persisted even after being discharged from the hospital. With Jessa’s health deteriorating further, she was readmitted to the hospital, where concerns arose regarding her kidneys and renal function due to decreased urine output.
Following a six-day period without eating and mounting worries about her well-being, Jessa’s family surrounded her, fearing for her life. Fortunately, Jessa eventually recovered fully, prompting Melissa to take precautionary measures, such as storing the medication in a secured box to prevent future incidents.
In a similar incident, a 12-year-old boy required hospitalization after unintentionally consuming a large amount of caffeine from Tyson Fury’s chewing gum. Oliver Wood ingested over 2,000mg of caffeine, equivalent to 20 cups of coffee, causing chest pains and jitters.
While there are no specific laws prohibiting the sale of caffeine products to minors in the UK, the government has outlined plans to restrict high-caffeine energy drinks for those under 16. Oliver’s mother, Anne-Marie Willis, emphasized the need for regulations, highlighting the dangers posed by such products despite their appealing packaging.
Anne-Marie expressed her initial fear for Oliver’s life upon realizing the seriousness of the situation, underscoring the importance of responsible marketing and sales practices for products containing high levels of caffeine.