![\"Feature:](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_262823762-acf5.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe new weight loss drug Retatrutide is making waves on social media \u2013 but there\u2019s a catch (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tThe new weight loss drug Retatrutide is making waves on social media \u2013 but there\u2019s a catch (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Erin* has been using weight loss jabs for over six months. Desperate to lose 20kg, the 33-year-old first turned to Mounjaro<\/a> at the end of last year. However, although it helped her shed the pounds, it also made some of her hair fall out, so the retail worker decided to seek out another treatment.<\/p>\n \u2018Like everyone on weight loss injections I was all over social media<\/a> looking at reels and TikToks to see what everyone else was using,\u2019 Erin tells Metro. \u2018That\u2019s when I heard about \u2018Reta\u2019.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n A new weight loss jab, Reta \u2013 real name Retatrutide \u2013 is making big waves on social media.On Instagram<\/a>, there\u2019s over100,000 mentions and despite TikTok community guidelines<\/a>\u00a0making clear that the platform does not allow content that facilitates the trade or marketing of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, including weight loss or muscle gain products, the hashtag #reta was widely used on the site until it was banned recently. However, the hasthtag #retaismeta can still be found. <\/p>\n Documenting their progress<\/a> online, some fitness influencers have declared \u2018Reta is the Meta\u2019, while one brags that after using Retatrutide he didn\u2019t eat for most of the day and even just the smell of a burger he cooked at 3pm left him feeling full. <\/p>\n What\u2019s so special about it? <\/p>\n Coming from the same manufacturers of Mounjaro, this latest jab making waves is believed to be up to three times stronger than Ozempic<\/a> in terms of tackling food noise and suppressing appetites.<\/p>\n \u2018Everyone seems to have such incredible effects from it, not even a normal type of hunger like you get on the traditional weight loss jabs.<\/a> The fact it\u2019s so fast acting made me want to give it a go,\u2019 explains Erin.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018It was easy enough to buy via some click through links. It costs me around \u00a3180 for 10mg which I inject a small amount of weekly. I have been on it a couple of weeks, now.\u2019<\/p>\n The catch<\/p>\n Every time she uses Retatrutide, however, Erin knowingly takes her life into her hands \u2013 as it\u2019s not approved for use. She\u2019s buying it illegally from unlicensed suppliers who have no authority on how it should be used.<\/p>\n \u2018I know it\u2019s a risk, but there\u2019s been so much success on social media, it seems quite a small one,\u2019 Erin insists.\u00a0<\/p>\n As it\u2019s yet to be licensed by the MHRA \u2013 the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency \u2013 experts are desperately warning Retatrutide users they are playing with their lives by buying the unapproved drug online.\u00a0 <\/p>\n \t\t \u2018The issue is, we don\u2019t really know what the risks are and we don\u2019t know the dosing either,\u2019 Dr Helen Wall, from the Oaks Family Practice in Bolton, tells Metro.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s certainly not just a stronger version of Ozempic and Mounjaro<\/a>. It\u2019s working on a different pathway, so that needs exploration in terms of, what the safety is, what the risks are and what the side effects are.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been developed by Eli Lilly, who are a reputable, well known pharmaceutical company, so ultimately, it may well end up on the market, but at the moment it\u2019s still in clinical trials.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t Dr Helen explains: \u2018It belongs to the class of drugs called triple hormone receptor agonists; which means it works on three different metabolic pathways. All three either suppress your appetite, stabilize your blood sugar or your insulin response, and make you feel full, and boost fat burning.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018Doing all three in one pathway means Retatrutide looks more potent than existing treatments <\/a>like Ozempic and Mounjaro. Ozempic is a GLP 1 agonist only, and Mounjaro <\/a>works on two of the pathways, so Retatrutide will probably the first one that would work on all three metabolic pathways.\u2019<\/p>\n The results from the early stages of trials suggest people are losing up to almost a third of their body weight, but Dr Helen says that itself comes with risk.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201830% is obviously a lot more than the existing weight loss injections but that\u2019s expected because of the metabolic pathways it works on,\u2019 she explains. \u2018As with plenty of drugs though, there\u2019s lots of illegal counterfeit versions circulating online and you never really know what you\u2019re getting.\u2019<\/p>\n When Metro got in touch with TikTok about the prevalence of Retatrutide on the platform earlier this ear, a spokesperson told us they had reviewed the hashtags shared and removed content that violated Community Guidelines, as well as banning the hashtaga #retatrutide and #reta. <\/p>\n Erin, however, inists she\u2019s glad she discovered the controversial jab \u2013 despite suffering some side effects: \u2018I had some heart palpitations when I first went on it, but I made dinner for the kids the other day and even the smell of lasagne cooking in the oven made me feel so full \u2013 like I\u2019d had a big Christmas dinner.\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n The unknown risks<\/p>\n While the trial results are yet to be published, early reports suggest Retatrutide may increase heart rate, says Dr Helen. \u2018In addition, there\u2019s also some concerns being raised about increasing potential bone fracture risk and kidney stones.<\/p>\n She warns that any illegal use mixed with a blase attitude could result in serious long term health issues. \u2018You\u2019re running the risk of all sorts of problems. You could end up with electrolyte<\/a> imbalance, which is dangerous for your heart rhythm.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018You can go into sudden cardiac arrhythmia,<\/a> and in a worst case, you could suddenly die. We know pancreatitis is a real issue with these medications, and it can be very serious.<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018It\u2019s simple science too, if you\u2019re losing weight that rapidly, it\u2019ll be at physical cost. You\u2019re looking at potential electrolyte imbalances<\/a> and issues with bone health to name just two. We also don\u2019t even know what dosing is safe \u2013 that\u2019s part of the trial process.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019ve seen plenty of patients when I worked in hospitals with life threatening pancreatitis, and sadly, some of them do die.<\/p>\n \u2018Medications take a long time to be approved for a reason and until we get the official trial data and approvals no one should be buying illegal versions.<\/p>\n \u2018Put bluntly, right now, Retatrutide is really unsafe.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWhat the makers says\t\t\t<\/p>\n Lilly UK tells Metro: \u2018Retatrutide is an investigational molecule that Lilly is studying for the treatment of obesity \u2013 it is in phase 3 clinical trials and is not available to patients outside of these trials. Retatrutide has not been reviewed or approved by the FDA, EMA, or any regulatory agency anywhere in the world, and therefore at this time no one can sell retatrutide for human use. Any product falsely representing itself as a Lilly investigational product not yet approved by the FDA, like retatrutide, may expose patients to potentially serious health risks.<\/p>\n Lilly aims to take all necessary actions to safeguard public health.\u00a0We continue to support international educational efforts by joining forces with non-governmental organisations such as the World Health Organisation, World Health Professionals Association and World Customs Organisation, to warn patients and healthcare professionals about the dangers of buying medicines from unregulated outlets.\u2019<\/p>\n *Name has been changed.<\/p>\n This article was first published in August 2025.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2190382249.jpg\")
\n\t\tAfter seeing the drug on social media, Erin decided to take the risk and try it for herself (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Indianapolis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-521503168.jpg\")
\n\t\tEli Lily have previously developed Mounjaro and Trulicity, diabetes-focused drugs commonly used for weight-loss(Picture: Getty)
\nHow \u2018Reta\u2019 works<\/p>\n![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2217097190.jpg\")
\n\t\tClose up of a woman\u2019s hands holding a weight loss injection syringe. (Credits: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\nMORE: Sam Thompson confirms relationship with model Talitha Balinska: \u2018Christmas is back on\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: \u2018I began vaping at 14 \u2013 I didn\u2019t know it was laced with zombie drug Spice\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: Debate continues over Rachel Reeves\u2019 Budget: Readers discuss the outcomes<\/a><\/p>\n