Sarah-Jayne Crawford, who weighed 19st 9lbs when she started taking Wegovy, was horrified at the side effects
17:00, 13 Apr 2026Updated 17:26, 13 Apr 2026
Sarah-Jayne in hospital after taking weight-loss jabs(Image: SWNS)
A woman claims weight loss injections turned her tongue black – and resulted in her requiring gallbladder removal. Sarah-Jayne Crawford, 32, began using Wegovy in August 2024 after her weight reached 19st 9lbs.
The mum-of-one, who wore a size 20 at the time, hoped to lose weight ahead of her wedding day in November 2025 and spent £199 through an online pharmacy for a month’s worth of the injections at a 0.25mg dose.
However, 12 weeks – and a further £350 later – after upping the dosage to 1mg, matters took an alarming turn when Sarah started experiencing “sharp pains” in her upper abdomen along with regular vomiting episodes, before discovering one December morning that her tongue had become jet black.
The peculiar symptom prevented her from consuming spicy foods – such as peppers and onions – and was accompanied by intense mouth discomfort and repulsive “egg-smelling” sulphur burps. Seriously concerned, she attended A&E at Antrim Area Hospital, where CT and MRI scans identified “multiple” gallstones obstructing her bile duct, plus diverticulitis – an inflammation of abnormal bulging pouches within the large intestine wall – and she ceased using the injections entirely.
Sarah-Jayne’s black tongue after taking Wegovy(Image: SWNS)
In February 2025, she underwent a cholecystectomy to have the organ completely removed following the gallstone discovery. Now, nearly fully recovered and no longer using the jabs, Sarah – who currently weighs 18st 8lbs – remains mystified by the peculiar black tongue symptom, and is raising awareness about the potential hidden risks of weight-loss injections. Sarah, a personal secretary working for the NHS, from Antrim, Northern Ireland, explained: “Wegovy was my last resort. I know a lot of people who are on the jabs and it worked like a dream for them.
“I had been battling my weight for what felt like forever and I was dying to slim before my wedding – but dieting, exercising and starving myself never worked. Before, I had heard stories about the dangers and my friend even joked about gallstones, but when the pain left me unable to leave my bed I knew something was up.
“The black tongue seemed like a cherry on top and a warning of what was to come. Never did I think this would happen to me.”
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Sarah had “always struggled” with her weight throughout her life. However, it wasn’t until her partner Curtis, 30, a mechanic, proposed in September 2022 that it spurred her on to shed a few dress sizes.
Recognising that “traditional methods never worked” for her, Sarah spent £199 via an online pharmacy for a two-month supply of Wegovy at 0.25mg dosage.
“At the start, everything seemed fine,” she recalled. “My appetite slowly disappeared and I felt great for the wedding. But I wasn’t noticing a huge amount of change.”
During the subsequent weeks, Sarah spent an additional £350 on Wegovy and ultimately increased her dosage to 1mg. Yet after 12 weeks on the injections, she began suffering “episodes of intense pain” in her upper abdomen and “bouts of vomiting.” The stinging sensation rapidly escalated into an “excruciating” trapped wind feeling, leaving her confined to bed. Within just 24 hours, the mum was horrified to find her tongue had turned black – and discovered she could no longer tolerate spicy food.
Sarah-Jayne was shocked by her symptoms(Image: SWNS)
“It all happened so quickly,” Sarah said. “It went from really sharp pains that were enough to leave me bedbound, to having sulphur burps, that smelt of egg, and a black tongue. It was terrible. I have a child, so it was very difficult to take time off work.
“But the pain was so unbearable I couldn’t walk. I would rather give birth to five kids at the same time than go through with the pain again.”
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, semaglutide – the active ingredient in Wegovy, which enhances glucose regulation and weight reduction – is recognised for causing dry mouth, halitosis (bad breath) and sulphur-scented burps resulting from delayed digestion – and can allegedly lead to a black-coated tongue.
Alarmed, Sarah immediately discontinued the injections and attended A&E at Antrim Area Hospital, where emergency MRI and CT scans revealed she had numerous gallstones obstructing her bile duct – putting her at risk of developing pancreatitis. She was scheduled for a total cholecystectomy – a surgical procedure to remove the gallbladder – on 10 February 2025, with her surgeon advising her to cease using Wegovy to safely undergo the anaesthetic.
“By this point, I was 18 stone and had hardly lost any weight,” she said. “The procedure was about an hour and I cracked on with the recovery. I’m slowly transitioning back to normal and eating more food now – but I’m still far from normal.”
Sarah and her son(Image: SWNS)
More than a year on, Sarah has got married and currently weighs 18 stone 8lbs. After stopping the injections in December 2024, her tongue has returned to its natural colour. She attributes most of her weight reduction to illness rather than the jabs – and remains baffled as to how Wegovy caused her tongue to blacken, as medical professionals couldn’t provide an explanation.
“I did my research and thought I’d be okay,” she said. “But it was the complete opposite. It’s not worth it. Weight loss jabs are a temporary fix and the dangers aren’t obvious.
“I’m proof that anything can happen once you inject yourself and I have now changed my mindset. Please do you research before you commit – I can’t stress enough how much women are putting themselves at risk.”
Sarah-Jayne started taking Wegovy in August 2025(Image: SWNS)
A Novo Nordisk spokesperson, a Wegovy manufacturer, stated: “Patient safety is of the utmost importance to us at Novo Nordisk. To ensure healthcare professionals have a detailed understanding of our medicine’s safety profile, the adverse reactions we have observed in clinical trials are detailed in our medicine’s Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC).
“In the registrational trials for this medicine, cholelithiasis (acute gallstone disease) was reported in 1.6% of patients and led to cholecystitis in 0.6% of people living with obesity treated with semaglutide 2.4 mg.
“For this reason, acute gallstone disease (cholelithiasis) is listed as a “common” potential adverse reaction for Wegovy (semaglutide injection) in the product’s UK SmPC and should be considered when patients are being evaluated for this medicine.
“As part of this work, we also monitor reports of adverse drug reactions through routine pharmacovigilance. If you know of someone who might be experiencing side effects from any medicine, we would advise you to report it to your healthcare provider, and via the MHRA Yellow Card Scheme.”