Mom’s Urine Turns Black After Taking Weight-Loss Meds to Slim Down Before Vacation: ‘I Thought I Could Die’

A mother who turned to weight-loss medication purchased online ended up in the hospital after becoming severely dehydrated — to the point her urine turned black.

Claire Reed, 49, from Aberdeen, Scotland, said she initially sought out the medication ahead of a planned vacation with her daughter. “I was fed up with not fitting in my clothes,” she told the Daily Mail. While Reed wasn’t classified as obese — just overweight — she decided to skip a doctor visit and instead filled out a brief questionnaire from an online pharmacy in March.

“There were no instructions on how to deal with it,” she admitted.

Within the first few months, Reed lost nearly 60 pounds. But her health quickly began to deteriorate. She experienced severe nausea whenever she ate or drank and began losing consciousness without warning.

“I couldn’t eat, so I was just collapsing because I had no food or water. I wasn’t able to process anything in my body. I felt very sick and had no appetite,” Reed said. “I was never going to the toilet and when I did, my urine was black. I had to force myself to drink water.”

Reed says she kept her worsening symptoms hidden out of embarrassment — until one frightening episode played out in front of her children. Her son and daughter, alarmed by her condition, rushed her to the hospital.

“They put me on an IV. I told them I’ve been taking the jab and they said this could be what it is,” Reed said, adding that doctors warned her about the dangers of ordering medication from online sources. “The people selling it to you can’t see you, they’re just asking a quick questionnaire. And then you’re left on your own.”

Reed has since stopped taking the weight-loss medication, but her appetite hasn’t returned.

“I’m still not hungry and still not gaining weight. Any food at all makes me feel sick,” she shared. “I was very scared — your body needs food and fluid. I thought I could die.”