'I almost died after £80 skinny jabs I got on Facebook - I fear they contained cocaine'

Paige Roberts, 24, from Wales, purchased dodgy skinny jabs on Facebook for £80 - and now believes they were laced with cocaine after she suffered from horrific side effects

A healthcare worker says she nearly died after purchasing skinny jabs online - and warned sellers might be lacing them with cocaine.

Paige Roberts, 24, from Llandudno, north Wales, paid £80 for four injections in a bid to control the symptoms caused by the hormonal disorder polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). She took matters into her own hands after her doctor advised her to lose weight before she could be referred to gynaecology for her "big bloat".

But after dieting and exercising for a few months, she realised there was little to no improvement so tried to buy some weight loss injections from Boots. However, being only a size 14-16 she didn't qualify to meet the obesity criteria, so searched for an alternative way online.

Paige said she was lured into one particular seller on Facebook after they posted a series of "before and after" images. She said the process to purchase the jabs "was so easy." But just one day after taking the injection, she was "shaking" and couldn't stop throwing up.

Have you suffered horror side effects after buying a beauty treatment online? Email Monica.charsley@reachplc.com

Speaking about her illness she said: "I have PCOS and it causes a big bloat on my stomach. I don't have periods at all. I went to the doctor for some help and said I was struggling with my periods, my weight, and my bloating. I'm not a big girl but she said to me I would need to lose weight to be seen by a gynaecologist. I was about a size 14/16 so not the skinniest nor that big.

"It was just the bloating I didn't like about myself. I did lots of exercise and dieting to try and lose this bloating but it wouldn't go. Nothing was working. It looks like I'm pregnant. It can go but it takes a lot longer. So I went and had a look at these weight-loss jabs. I was seeing a lot of stuff about it on social media.

"I tried to buy them through Boots Chemists but I didn't fit their criteria of being obese so couldn't get the jabs. So that's when I resorted to Facebook to find the jabs. And it was very easy to find. There were loads everywhere. I reached out to one page and they offered four jabs for £80. I didn't have to tell them my weight or any details. It was so easy. They posted a lot of before and afters which looked really good."

After placing an order, the injectables came in the post with a pre-made syringe, which Paige injected into her stomach last Thursday, November 7. Paige said: "I was a bit hesitant to use them at first because they were in a syringe. But then I read some in chemists and pharmacies are in syringes so thought I'd give it a go. I felt fine, I did it at night time. I went to bed and when I woke up the next day, I felt like I had the flu and felt like I was going to be sick. I just thought because they'd warned that it could make you feel sick, I would ride through it.

"Every time I was drinking water, I was throwing up and I thought this can't be right. I went to Manchester for a friend's birthday and was so dizzy and couldn't hold back any alcohol. I just drank water all day. I was constantly throwing up the water I was drinking. I was getting the train home when I started feeling much worse. My heart was racing, I was shaking, I couldn't stop throwing up, I felt dehydrated. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I felt hungry but I couldn't eat."

Paige was rushed to hospital when her symptoms began worsening that night - where she claims doctors told her that the jab may have contained drugs. "I felt like I couldn't move, I had absolutely no energy, I was dizzy. I felt like I was going to collapse," she recalled. "We phoned 111 and they said there was a long wait in A&E so I thought I would ride it out until tomorrow. My mum drove me to hospital the next morning. They thought there could have been drugs in the injection because I had dilated pupils, I was glazed over, my heart rate was quite high.

"They said they see a lot of these jabs and said it's normally speed. I think it's more cocaine-based that's found in these jabs. It could've potentially been laced with cocaine. I believe there was something in there and it could've been cocaine. It's upsetting, it's made me really angry that I was sold this. I will never use these jabs again. I would tell other people considering these jabs to really do your research and speak to doctors first.

"I could've easily lost my life. I felt like I was going to die. It was like I had been spiked." Paige claims the seller blocked her on social media after messaging her page to complain about the jabs and requested a refund. In response to previous cases of skinny jabs being allegedly sold over their platform, a Facebook spokesperson said they do not allow the sale of pharmaceutical drugs and they remove violating accounts when they become aware of them.

They claim to remove content about weight loss that contains a miracle claim and attempts to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift weight loss products, while content related to weight loss products is restricted for under-18s. They claimed to be constantly working to get better at detection and urged people to report anything they think violates their policies, so they can review it and take action.

The Mirror has contacted Facebook for comment.