Published: 14.04.2024
Updated: 14.04.2024
3 min read

Roxy Jacenko reveals the moment she thought she would die after a shocking overdose

‘I literally thought, “This is it. I’m going to die.’
Australian PR guru Roxy Jacenko in 2022. Credit: WireImage

Roxy Jacenko reveals the moment she thought she would die after a shocking overdose

‘I literally thought, “This is it. I’m going to die.’

When Roxy Jacenko first heard about a wonder weight-loss drug called Ozempic, she was determined to get hold of it, desperate to lose 15kg of extra weight.

Little did the PR expert know that weeks later, she would end up in hospital following a dangerous overdose.

Ozempic is an injectable medication formulated to help adults with Type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar. Successful weight loss is a side effect of the drug and as a result millions of people want to use it to lose weight

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Download today

The pharmaceutical company that supplies Ozempic, Novo Nordisk, has recently advised the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration that supplies throughout 2023 and 2024 will be limited and the drug should only be prescribed to by doctors to diabetics.

But there are ways around this.

During a special 7NEWS Spotlight TV investigation into the drug, Jackenko, a former SAS Australia contestant, outlined the incredible lengths she went to in a bid to source Ozempic.

Back in 2016, Jacenko was diagnosed with breast cancer and revealed she had gained weight as a result of taking Tamoxifen - a hormone therapy drug she took for seven years.

“The Tamoxifen made me put on 15kg,” she told Usher. “And whilst to other people, they didn’t look at me and go, “Oh well, she’s put on a lot of weight,” I didn’t feel comfortable.

Australian PR guru Roxy Jacenko in 2022. Credit: Don Arnold/WireImage

“And I tried everything. I tried the fad diets. I tried starting at a gym, doing workouts. I tried not eating much and I couldn’t shake the weight. I just wanted to fix it, and this seemed like the way. Ozempic seemed like the easy answer.”

Read more...

Following a visit to her local GP to ask for the drug, Jackenko was told she didn’t meet the criteria so she formulated a plan to get hold of the drug by other means.

The mother-of-two bought the drug on the black market in Nowra, NSW and ordered an Uber to collect it for her.

“ It was about $2,500 for the drive there and back, and then it was another $700 for the two pens,” she revealed. “I was actually like a junkie. I look at it now and I was like a junkie.”

The 44-year-old was then so desperate to see the effects of the drug she ended up taking more than she should.

“I took four times the amount in one hit,” she revealed.

“I felt OK at that point in time. The aftermath of it was I think I’m going to die.

She added, “ In the morning, I was driving to work. I was sweating. I was so hot and then I just kept vomiting nonstop. What not to do? One milligram of Ozempic.”

Roxy Jacenko on the treadmill, left, and after reaching her ‘goal weight’, right. Credit: Instagram/Roxy Jacenko

Then her health took a turn for the worse.

“That night, I ended up in hospital. They had never seen this before. This was the first they had seen of an Ozempic overdose. Like the shaking, my whole body was shaking, I couldn’t control my legs. It’s like I had no control of my body.

“My arms and legs were like this. And then in addition to that, they just start pumping you full of fluid. You can rest assure I came out skinny, but it didn’t last for long. Literally, I truly thought this is it. I’ve been sick in my time. Cancer was a walk in the park compared to how bad I felt for those three days.

As a result, Jacenko no longer takes the drug, but has given up drinking and follows a healthy diet - and she would never consider Ozempic again.

“I’ve changed my lifestyle now. I eat clean now. I don’t drink at all. And now I’m 52 kilos and I wake up and I’m not all bleary-eyed and I feel healthy and I’ve got a clear mentality. And if anyone asks me, “Would you do it again, Ozempic?” No freaking way. I literally thought, “This is it. I’m going to die.”

Watch the full 7NEWS Spotlight special on Ozempic on 7plus.

Stream free on

7plus logo