• She used an unlicensed weight loss injection

• Experienced vomiting, nausea, and internal bleeding

A 28-year-old Chinese woman from Suzhou, Jiangsu province, paid around 900 yuan (US$130) for weight-loss injections promoted as capable of reducing 3.5 kg per dose, before suffering severe side effects that ended with vomiting blood.

Chen saw an advertisement for a "slimming injection" on a friend’s post claiming each shot could help lose at least 3.5 kg. She purchased a package containing three injections.

Using only half of the recommended dose, she injected near her navel.

She soon experienced nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite, assuming these were normal side effects.

Chen reported losing about one kilogram per day over the first three days, totaling 5 kg in four days.

Her condition worsened on the fourth day, with green and yellow vomit; doctors later informed her that her stomach lining had been damaged.

During examinations, Chen vomited blood due to gastrointestinal injury and internal bleeding; her pulse briefly stopped, and she entered a critical state before regaining consciousness.

After emergency treatment, she stabilized, but doctors warned the damage was not fully healed and advised waiting at least a year before considering pregnancy.

A local report revealed that the injections, promoted under trendy names, were unapproved products manufactured in unlicensed workshops using forged production licenses.

They contained semaglutide, primarily intended for type 2 diabetes treatment.

Investigations showed that the cost of producing a single injection did not exceed four yuan (around 60 US cents).

The incident sparked widespread online reactions, with users expressing shock and urging caution against succumbing to body-image pressures.