Freelance journalist Rose Stokes suffered a severe mental health breakdown on Good Friday 2025 after taking the weight-loss drug Mounjaro.
The 37-year-old mother was standing at the top of a steep hill overlooking the skyline of Bath, Somerset, where she lives, pushing a double buggy with her husband Simon. She looked at her two children, aged three years and nine months, before breaking down in tears and telling her husband that she could not go on.
Stokes told Simon, 38, that she felt he and their children would be better off without her, describing leaden limbs, a total lack of energy, and a desire to go home and sleep forever. Simon wept as he led her back to their car, held her tight, and implored her to remember how much he and the children needed her.
The breakdown occurred nine months after the birth of her second son, following six months of deep contentment that contrasted sharply with her previous struggles with postnatal mental health. Stokes had experienced severe postnatal depression and anxiety after the birth of her first son, leaving her feeling worthless after spending much of her early 30s single and fearing she would never become a mother.
Stokes had met Simon, who works in tech, on a dating app during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although navigating depression during their first year as parents made them afraid of trying for another baby, they prepared with therapy and built a strong support network before deciding to have their second child.
The first six months after her second son was born were among the happiest of her life, and by Christmas 2024 the family celebrated together in contentment. However, two major changes occurred a few days before New Year's Eve 2024 when Stokes finished breastfeeding and began taking tirzepatide, a GLP-1 agonist medication sold under the brand name Mounjaro.
Side effects and mental health decline
Within hours of her first dose, Stokes saw her appetite completely disappear, and she experienced three weeks of euphoria as her weight rapidly dropped. However, her mental condition soon deteriorated drastically, causing sudden dark thoughts and panic.
During a coffee morning with friends, Stokes experienced severe distress, feeling completely disconnected from her surroundings while her heart rate skyrocketed and sweat dripped from every pore. She called Simon at work to return home immediately because she believed something was seriously wrong.
Stokes contacted the prescribing pharmacy, which recommended that she switch to Wegovy, another GLP-1 agonist weight-loss medication. Her condition worsened after making the swap, prompting her to research side effects and discover that some patients taking Wegovy had reported suicidal ideation.
Stokes felt like she was participating in a mass human drug trial in the first half of 2025, as neither her pharmacist nor her GP could provide answers beyond advising her to stop taking the medication. She chose to stop taking the drugs to protect her mental health and family, giving up on losing the 15 kilograms (2 stone 5 pounds) of weight she had gained after the birth of her second child.
Lifetime struggles with body image
Stokes explained that she had struggled with her body image since the age of seven, enduring constant shame and negative perceptions about her weight from others throughout her life.
She recalled a family member telling her at age ten that her legs should not rub together while wearing CK Jeans shorts, prompting her to never wear them again. At age 15, a GP advised her parents to enrol her in Slimming World, where a worker told her she would be "skinny in no time" despite Stokes being a size 12.
During her university years, a close friend told Stokes that visiting friends thought she had "such a pretty face" and would be a "ten-out-of-ten" if she lost weight. Later, a drunken boss told colleagues at a Christmas party that she had the "best t**s in the office" but lacked the body to match.
A former boyfriend also told Stokes he loved her curves before threatening to leave her if she did not lose weight. When she subsequently lost weight at age 28 while suffering from an incipient eating disorder, friends and family told her the ex-boyfriend had done her a favour because she looked the best she ever had.
Stokes said these accumulated comments formed a concerted attack on her self-esteem and confidence. After stopping the weight-loss drugs in 2025, her mind calmed, and a month of therapy helped lift the dark clouds, leading her to vow never to take weight-loss injections again.
Restarting treatment with new safeguards
Despite her vow, Stokes found herself unable to shed her baby weight a year later, even while attending the gym five times a week and eating a healthier diet alongside Simon. In May 2026, she decided to restart Mounjaro, taking half of the standard starting dose against guidance from her online pharmacist.
To protect herself during her second attempt, Stokes sought guidance from Dr Federica Amati, head nutritionist at health company Zoe and author of The Appetite Reset. Stokes set phone alarms to remind herself to consume protein and fibre, such as scrambled eggs and vegetable smoothies, while tracking all her food intake.
Under the new regimen, Stokes reported a completely different experience with milder appetite suppression, slower weight loss, and no severe mental health side effects. Although she still experiences a temporary increase in heart rate for a day after injecting, she now recognises it as normal and manages the jumpiness without fear.
Stokes has avoided weighing herself to prevent obsession, but gym body scans confirm she has lost fat rather than muscle, leaving her at a size 18 to 20. She has now launched a new podcast called A Matter of Fat, co-hosted with obesity expert Professor Giles Yeo MBE, to explore weight and body image issues.
