Grace Parkin can remember the exact moment a pint of beer started to taste a little… strange.
It was the summer of 2024 and the then 32-year-old manager was watching the European Football Championship with a group of friends in a favorite pub.
Normally she would drink several pints of larger in one evening, but this evening was different.
“I instinctively ordered a beer,” says Ms Parkin, originally from Sheffield.
‘But I couldn’t even reach a third of the descent. I tried to drink it all, but I remember thinking, “Oh god, this isn’t for me.”
‘It didn’t have the same effect as before. It didn’t taste good at all and it made me feel bloated.’
It would turn out that the mother of one was suffering from a bizarre – but increasingly reported – side effect of the popular weight loss injection, Mounjaro.
Ms Parkin, who lost six stone after 18 months, is also less attracted to wine, as well as her spirits and mixer.
Grace Parkin, 34, found that Mounjaro had a positive effect on all her impulsive behavior
Before she started the so-called ‘blockbuster’ injections in May 2024, Ms Parkin would sometimes go through ‘up to 10 vodka, lime and lemonades’ during her weekly Saturday night out.
These days she has turned to wine, but only occasionally.
‘Sometimes I have to force myself [to finish a glass of wine]she said. ‘I’d probably say I drink once a month, rather than once a week. I’m not interested in it at all.’
A growing body of research suggests that the drugs, called GLP1 agonists, have the added benefit of reducing cravings for a number of substances.
Studies show that using the drug can reduce the risk of developing alcoholism by 18 percent, and cocaine addiction by 20 percent.
Meanwhile, US studies have shown that GLP-1s can reduce booze cravings even in moderate drinkers.
Experts believe the hormone activated by the drugs may affect the brain’s reward system, which plays a role in addictive behavior.
The manager has thrown six stones on the lampreys and has no plans to get rid of them anytime soon
Studies have previously shown that GLP-1 agonists reduce cravings and addictive behaviors
Mrs Parkin has struggled with her weight since her teens and underwent a gastric balloon in 2009, when she reached a weight of around 19 stone.
But the operation resulted in a weight loss of just three stone – and she didn’t notice it helping her eating habits.
She was never a ‘big eater’, but on the weekends she would eat her fill.
She often went out drinking on Fridays or Saturdays, had a pizza on the way home, and covered her hangover the next day with a bacon sandwich and takeaway.
“On Monday I would hate myself and start the diet again,” she said.
While she managed to get her weight down to just under 18 stone by May 2024, she was looking for options to speed up her transformation.
She saw a post about Mounjaro on Facebook and decided to try it.
The feelings of hunger disappeared almost immediately – and it wasn’t just her hunger for food that underwent a dramatic change.
Previously, she spent her disposable income on clothes, vacations, eating out and alcohol without much thought.
Ms Parkin said she often drinks 10 vodkas on an average night out before Mounjaro
“I would only buy shoes: sneakers, Uggs, boots,” she said.
‘Then I have to buy a whole load of sweaters or holiday clothes while I haven’t even booked a holiday yet.
‘Then I get an idea in my head, like I need new sunglasses. And when I was bored one evening, I would buy from all the brands that sold clothes in plus sizes. I could spend anywhere from £50 to £200 to £300 a night.”
Ms Parkin also visited her local shopping center at least twice a week.
“I was filling a void,” she says, “looking for that adrenaline.” If I could spend money and give it that kick, I would.”
But since Mounjaro, she only buys what she needs – and credits the control the drug has given her.
She stopped taking the drug in February in preparation for a cosmetic breast lift, but recently started using it again.
“I’m now 11 stone 10 and I want to keep the weight off,” she said. “I don’t plan on losing anymore.”
The “lack of food noise” she experiences when using the injections is a benefit she doesn’t want to give up.
“It was incredible,” she said. “I’ll never get off the meds.”
