Underweight but has injections

[LushLemonTart]

A colleague is very thin. Quite tall. She said she's on weight loss injections and is back to her teenage weight.

How is she getting them? She's a lot younger than me and always tired. I've told her I'm worried about her. She's so lovely. She struggles to eat now.

Ah, that’s very kind of you to want to voice concerns on line.

@LushLemonTart you could try just asking her what she's taking and where she's getting it from. Someone underweight taking illegal or fake medication is not something that people here taking legal medication on prescription are going to be able to help with.

It's really easy to get wegovy etc prescribed online from legit pharmacies. I did for 6 months - just lied about my weight / height /BMI.
There will be a lot of people abusing these drugs - especially people with eating disorders.

Was she previously overweight?

It is relatively easy to access weight loss drugs by lying. Same as if you join WW or SW online - an in person group wouldn't allow an underweight person to continue losing weight/ accessing the group, but online there's much less scrutiny.

It is getting harder to lie to providers though.

No she's always been very slim. She used to take drops? I have no idea what they are?

No you're right whoever said no one here can help. It's frustrating to see. Nothing I can do.

Another workmate had lost loads getting injections prescribed. Probably 5 stone up to now. I hadn't seen her for a while and was amazed. Her energy has risen. She's much more active.

It did sound patronising saying voice my concerns 🤣. I meant it's somewhere to discuss stuff. I wouldn't talk to dh or friends about it. They already know I worry about the world and his wife.

The person who sells them I've heard about has loads and hasn't been on holiday I don't know where they get them from but she does

@PromoJoJo I think you could be right. There's childhood trauma. She's an absolute angel.

Not really a good advert for weight loss injections if it turns you into a Mean Girl.

so on MJ my ADHD is much more levelled
I have no desire to drink - I drank far too much beforehand
I’m not consuming excessive amounts of sugar
I don’t impulse shop.

I can see the allure of MJ even to someone who isn’t overweight.

I worry about what will happen when I can’t get the 💉 anymore.

Is there a new sort of gang that raids people's fridges during the night?

I would be a terrible member btw. The cheese would be a huge distraction.

I think some.people might say I'm thin. I'm not, I'm a little overweight but I do look thin in some clothes and people.have told me I look thin (when they can't see my belly!). I'm on mounjaro to get back to the weight where I feel most comfortable which is at the low end of the healthy weight range. If I told people in real life they'd freak out. But I know when I will stop. I am an adult and can make that decision and am aware of the risks etc... it's the right decision for me.

I know that you are very worried about your colleague. But she's an adult. Maybe she's like me and will be able to stop when she reaches a sensible and healthy weight, even if it's lower than what many might see as ok.

Maybe she won't be able to stop and she has an eating disorder.

Either way, she is an adult and it's not your burden to hold. Voice your concern to her. Let her know you are there for her and willing to help in anyway should she need it at any point. But I'm not sure there's much else you can do.

If she has anorexia and is taking mounjaro that will be incredibly dangerous. I can see why you are worried. I don't know how I'd help a colleague with anorexia but there is no point in you also being stressed by it. Hopefully her family or friends will be the ones to support her and will notice if she becomes dangerously thin.

I feel for you OP. But ultimately she's an adult. It's her decision even if it's a very unwise one. If it is part of anorexia, it is something way beyond what you can help with as a colleague. If it's not, let her make her own decisions

How are you getting it, if you’re just a little overweight and look thin?

I have been using MJ responsibly for 10 months and have gone from obese to a healthy weight and am now figuring out maintenance. I have been more tired than normal but put it down to eating less.

A couple of weeks ago I went to give blood but couldn't as my hemoglobin was only 124. The normal range for a woman is 120-150 so GP wouldn't do anything but to give blood it needs to be 125 or higher.

I am now focusing a bit more on iron rich foods and taking a multivitamin which includes 100% of my daily iron needs. It also has Vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, B12 etc. Perhaps you could recommend your colleague takes supplements to be sure she is getting the vitamins she needs. There are also online blood tests you can order to check your levels without seeing your GP. I guess she is a GP avoider due to her low weight and not wanting to be called out on it.

@Choux thanks. She's never been overweight. Makes sense about the vitamins.