A woman who was eating herself “to death”, gorging on foods like Jaffa Cakes, says taking “skinny jab” Mounjaro is something she’s willing to make sacrifices for.
Earlier this month, prices for the well-sought-after weight loss jab increased by up to 170%.
It meant that, per month, it would cost £330 instead of £122 for the highest dose.
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For Beverley Cuddy, who currently spends £229 monthly on the jab, it’s saved her life – and she will be tightening her belt in other ways to keep affording them.
At one point, her food “addiction” was so bad that she claims Jaffa Cakes used to “speak” to her.
Now, though, she’s gone from weighing 19st at her heaviest to 11st 4lbs.
“It’s never been the cheapest – they’re like the M&S or Waitrose of weight loss,” the dog welfare campaigner, from Worcestershire, told Need To Know.
“I fear some people facing shortages may turn to unsafe sources.
“You shouldn’t gamble with your health.
“It’s madness.
“I’d rather pay more for a reputable company than go for a slightly cheaper version of the jab.
“The drug probably still costs less than what most people spend on lunch and a coffee each day.
“And certainly less than what many spend on Botox and fillers.
“Imagine investing that money instead to extend your life in quality and quantity.
“That’s the difference between price and value.
“If you can regain the health you used to have when weighing much less, that, to me, is priceless.”
Beverley, 63, had become “fed up” with being unable to do the things she loved anymore, such as taking up exciting opportunities, judging dog shows, and taking long baths, due to her weight.
And when it left her in the hospital multiple times with issues including frequent chest infections and collapsed lungs, she knew something drastic needed to change.
She said: “I was costing the NHS a wedge as I just kept getting ill.
“I couldn’t get in the bath anymore because my legs were so swollen that they couldn’t bend.
“At one point, I even had to buy extenders to make my shoes fit.
“If we went on holiday, I wouldn’t fit properly in the seat on the plane in economy.
“It was embarrassing.
“I’d even got stuck in some chairs in a restaurant.
“The world just isn’t built for bigger people.
“I was truly miserable, and the sadder I got, the more I comfort ate.
“It was a cycle I couldn’t break.
“I was left relying on people as I was constantly unwell.
“I’d never been overly concerned about looking fat, but I hated the thought of being a burden on my family.
“Comfort eating was ultimately killing me.”
Beverley came across an advert on her Facebook for the weight loss jab.
In April 2024, she signed up to receive Mounjaro, costing £130 initially per month, through Juniper, an online pharmacy.
Now, she’s lost around 40% of her weight and has dropped from a UK dress size 22 to a size 12.
Beverley said: “I didn’t know anyone else doing GLP jabs, though I was completely open about it on my social media.
“Partly to help me stick to it, having tried and failed many diets before.
“This was very different, though.
“I found it incredibly easy to stick to because all the food noise in my head vanished.
“Jaffa Cakes were no longer talking to me.
“I could, for the first time in my life, think like what I imagine a naturally thin person does.
“Food was no longer an emotional crutch; it was simply fuel.”
Beverley now wakes up each day thinking about her future – something which didn’t seem likely a year ago.
To help offset the cost, Juniper has frozen prices while people make a decision to stop or switch to another brand.
Though next month, this will increase to £304.
The 63-year-old has currently dropped from 12.5mg to 10mg, which is also saving her money, and plans to continue reducing until she no longer needs them.
She added, “I have all the energy now that I used to in my 20s.
“Mounjaro has given me back my energy and optimism.
“The ‘eat less, move more’ brigade may think it’s simple, but they have no idea what food noise is like.
“There’s so much negativity around so-called ‘skinny jabs’, but they’re literally a lifesaver for many of us.
“I feel liberated at last after years of yo-yo dieting.
“These injections might have become more expensive, but the change they’ve brought to my future is priceless.
“When you’re on the drug, you’re spending less at the supermarket, on takeaways and dining out – so it balances out really.
“In the long run, these jabs will save taxpayers a fortune.”
