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OZEMPIC OFFAL

Man’s GLP-1 Horror Story Leads to Organ Removal

The 44-year-old father is warning others about the dangers of taking weight-loss jabs without medical supervision.

Cailey PetschHealth and Beauty Intern

PublishedApr 28, 2026, 5:21 PM EDT

UpdatedApr 28, 2026, 5:33 PM EDT

Updated Apr 28, 2026, 5:33 PM EDTPublished Apr 28, 2026, 5:21 PM EDT

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A man who lost over 80 pounds before nearly losing his life is sharing his story as a cautionary tale for others seeking GLP-1s online.​

In May 2025, Edd Langmead, a professional drummer in England who says he had “struggled with weight” for decades, weighed 280 pounds and experienced debilitating back pain.

When he inquired with his general practitioner about going on GLP-1 medication, Langmead, 44, was placed on a 12-month waitlist.

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​Seeking a quicker resolution, he obtained a prescription from an online pharmacy for a medication marketed as Mounjaro, a brand-name GLP-1 medication. The father of two noticed a change almost instantaneously.

GLP-1 receptor agonists are prescribed alongside diet and exercise directives to improve blood sugar control. The popular class of drugs mimics gut hormones to control blood sugar and can help patients lose weight.

Landmead’s swift results turned into long-term success, and he ultimately dropped 80 pounds, taking the jabs without a doctor overseeing his treatment. Doctors strongly advise against administering GLP-1s without medical supervision to ensure correct dosages and use blood tests to monitor for side effects, including dangerous and potentially life-threatening ones.

But the results seemed like they were worth the risk—initially, at least.

“I had suffered with back pain for three years. Getting out of bed actually hurt,” he told the Manchester Evening News. “Within two months, my back pain had gone.”

Soon, however, he began to feel discomfort, which he described as similar to trapped gas.

​On March 9, he attempted to alleviate the pain with over-the-counter medications. The tactic was unsuccessful: He found himself unable to walk, doubled over on the floor in pain, after months of “feeling the healthiest” he’s ever felt.

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Four days later, he was rushed to the emergency room with gangrenous cholecystitis, a life-threatening infection where the tissue in the gallbladder dies. The diagnosis is usually associated with type 2 diabetes, occurring when tissue death in the gallbladder wall leads to perforation.

Langmead underwent immediate surgery to remove his gallbladder.

“If I had not gone in, or if I had been in a different situation where I couldn’t get to a hospital, then I might not be here,” he told People. “That’s the scary thing.”

​Langmead’s experience is not isolated. Others have described gallbladder discomfort from Mounjaro use on Reddit.

One Redditor wrote, “I am suspecting that the Mounjaro has made my [gallbladder] sluggish due to it slowing the Digestive system down, so surely by stopping the shots my GB should start functioning again? Or am I stuck like this unless it’s removed? 😫”

​Another user responded, affirming that they believed Mounjaro was the culprit, writing, ​“Whether temporary or permanent, I can’t say, but there’s a distinct tie between the GLP-1’s and gallbladder/pancreatic issues!”

They continued, “The delayed gastric emptying causes the organs to have to contract and work longer, leading to flare-ups and other fun issues. Plus, losing weight quickly is a gallbladder trigger on its own.”

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Medical professionals have recognized a link between GLP-1s and gallbladder dysfunction. When GLP-1s slow digestion, producing a “fuller” feeling, they may also slow gallbladder function.

​Langmead spent four days in the hospital to reassess his choices after the operation. His surgeons told him he was lucky to survive.

“When I came out of the operation, a couple of the surgeons were saying how lucky I was. All I could think of was leaving my kids without a dad,” he said.

He reflected on his decision to skip the prescription line in favor of a faster online option with less medical oversight and far fewer safeguards.

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“There is a sadness that it happened like that for me because I’m sure that had I done it differently,” he said, “it wouldn’t have been that way.”

Langmead added, “I’ve gone from being the healthiest I’ve ever felt since I was a teenager to now, I feel like I’m in my nineties.”

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Cailey PetschHealth and Beauty Intern

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