Vicki McFarlane, 53, swapped expensive £180-a-month Mounjaro jabs for a cheap alternative found on Amazon and says the results have been “life-changing”
09:45, 29 May 2026Updated 09:46, 29 May 2026
Vicki McFarlane before her weight loss(Image: Vicki McFarlane / SWNS)
A mum who abandoned Mounjaro after suffering nausea and headaches turned to a “life changing” supplement patch costing just 30p a day, and shed 3st 7lbs in just 15 weeks.
Vicki McFarlane, 53, said she had battled with her weight throughout her entire adult life owing to evening sugar cravings – a problem made worse when her metabolism slowed during the menopause. Determined to shift the stubborn weight around her stomach and thighs, she ordered Mounjaro from an online clinic in January 2025.
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The £180-a-month injection helped her lose two stone over two months, but brought with it unbearable nausea, headaches and “eggy burps” that ultimately led her to quit.
After discovering berberine online – a natural compound used in Chinese medicine, believed to help regulate blood sugar and fat storage – she decided to try it for herself. Vicki, from Pickering, Yorkshire, purchased slow-release patches for £8.99 on Amazon – the equivalent of just 30p per day.
Vicki McFarlane before her weight loss(Image: Vicki McFarlane / SWNS)
Despite her initial scepticism, the travel agent said she noticed within days that her nightly cravings for biscuits and cake had all but disappeared.
Having started the patches on June 30, 2025, she dropped from 17st 9lbs to 14st 2lbs by October 14, 2025.
While GLP1 medications work differently to supplements, the mum-of-one said berberine – widely referred to as ‘nature’s Ozempic’ – curbed her appetite in much the same way as Mounjaro, but without the unpleasant side effects and at a fraction of the cost.
Vicki said: “I had been trying to lose another three or four stone forever – I was always on some diet or other.
“I lost weight on Mounjaro, but I felt so ill the whole time.
At her heaviest, Vicki McFarlane weighed 19st 12lb(Image: Vicki McFarlane / SWNS)
“Then I saw things about berberine online – and I noticed the impact within a couple of days.
“I always ate relatively healthy but it was all the cakes, chocolates, crisps and biscuits that I wanted in the evening.
“Now, I don’t eat in the evening at all – maybe a yoghurt or something. But you can keep your cakes now!
“Friends always ask ‘bloody hell Vicki – what have you been taking?’.”
Before trying Mounjaro and berberine, no matter what diet Vicki tried, she would never drop below 17st.
But the jabs left her with “constant heartburn, eggy burps, nausea, headaches and bad breath”.
After just two months on the jabs, despite losing 2st 3lbs, bringing her down from 19st 12lbs to 17st 9lbs, she stopped.
Soon after was when Vicki saw some adverts online for a berberine supplement.
She said: “They were cheap, I did a bit of research and thought I’d try them.”
Vicki McFarlane after her weight loss(Image: Vicki McFarlane / SWNS)
Incredibly, she noticed her appetite reduced within a matter of days – and her food cravings vanished.
She said: “I no longer wanted to eat in the evening at all – I just didn’t fancy that any more. The food noise just went.”
She began making reduced portion sizes to match her new reduced appetite, and saw the weight drop.
Vicki even roped husband Darren McFarlane, 53, into giving them a go – and said he had the same feeling instantly.
When she hit her goal weight of 14st 2lbs in October, she came off the patches so she didn’t lose any more weight.
She said: “I like to be a nice comfortable size 16 – I don’t want to look too gaunt.”
After a trip away over Christmas, where she gained some weight back, she went back onto berberine three weeks ago.
Vicki McFarlane with her supplements(Image: Vicki McFarlane / SWNS)
This time trying supplement tablets, she Vicki said she noticed the same result again – and has lost 10lbs.
She said: “People say it could never compare to Mounjaro, but they’re unreal considering how expensive that is.
“And, it made me very sick.
“This has done for me exactly what Mounjaro did, but without the sickness.
“My 27-year-old son has literally never seen me this slim before.”
Vicki added: “It’s been life-changing for me. I feel like I’ve gained years of life.
“I’ve got so much more energy and I feel so much healthier.
“But I’ve got a cupboard full of crisps I no longer want!”