They promised a medical revolution. In just a few weekly injections, GLP-1 drugs have revolutionized the treatment of obesity, offering millions of Americans weight loss that was previously difficult to achieve. Today, nearly one in eight Americans are taking treatment with semaglutide or tirzepatide. But as these products enter homes, a long underestimated risk appears: accidental overdose.
The story of Jessa Milender, recently reported by a local Indiana channel, is the most brutal illustration of this. In December 2024, this 7-year-old girl injected herself with her mother’s Mounjaro by mistake. Within a few hours, his body reacted violently: incessant vomiting, intense abdominal pain, extreme exhaustion. Hospitalized, she was close to serious kidney damage. “She could no longer walk, she screamed in pain, even while sleeping”says his mother, Melissa Milender. Jessa finally recovered, after having come close to death, reports the media Gizmodo.
These situations remain rare, but they are no longer isolated. Poison control centers are sounding the alarm. In Indiana, calls related to GLP-1 have more than doubled in one year. Nationally, the increase is staggering: since 2019, reports regarding weight loss injections have jumped nearly 1,500%, totaling around 23,000 calls in six years.
In the majority of cases, these are adults who take the wrong dosage or use their treatment incorrectly. But a significant portion concerns children exposed to medications that are absolutely not intended for them. The side effects of GLP-1 are known: nausea, vomiting, digestive pain, etc. But they can become dangerous when the dose is excessive or the patient is not eligible. Added to this are more recent risks, such as the circulation of counterfeit medicines containing other active substances.
The paradox is cruel. The more popular, accessible and easy to use these treatments become, the more the risk of accidents increases. Experts emphasize basic rules that are often neglected: scrupulously follow prescriptions, buy medications from reliable sources and, above all, keep them out of the reach of children.
A precaution that Melissa Milender now applies to the letter. Since the accident, his treatment has been locked in a secure box. A simple, almost banal gesture, but which reminds us of something too often forgotten: even drugs perceived as miraculous remain powerful products, capable of relieving… or endangering, in an instant.
