THE family of a mum-of-two believe she died due to taking weight loss drops she bought online.
Sarah Thompson took the unregulated medication to shed four stone in just a month following treatment for throat cancer.
The 34-year-old, from Connah’s Quay, Wales, was found dead at home by her teenage daughter in September.
Sarah’s voice box was removed following the devastating cancer diagnosis in 2018 and she was left breathing through a tube in her neck.
Exercise became difficult and she struggled to keep from piling on weight, which led to depression.
Sarah did not qualify for licensed meds on the NHS and so began taking “fat burning serum”.
She bought the drops over the summer and quickly began shedding the pounds at an alarming rate.
However, after five weeks she began violently vomiting before being found dead in her bed by her 16-year-old daughter.
Testing shows the drops Sarah was using contained Clenbuterol, a Class C controlled drug not approved for human consumption in the UK.
Supplying the substance can lead to a maximum jail term of 14 years.
Sarah’s family are waiting for test results to confirm her official cause of death, but believe the drugs were to blame.
Heartbroken sister Gabriella told ITV News: “As much as she wanted be skinny, I don’t think she would’ve taken them if she knew exactly what was in them, and there was a risk of her never seeing her children again. I know she wouldn’t have.”
Gabriella said her sister’s confidence grew as the weight came off and she “felt she could take on the world”.
However, after trying the drops herself she suffered heart palpitations and tremors so stopped.
Sarah had been to the 02 Academy in Liverpool just days before her death.
Her mum Gail previously said: “She was really popular and had a huge group of friends.
“We have had people lay lots of flowers outside the house, which shows how many people she knew.
“She absolutely loved going to concerts. There was time when I picked her up from a festival and she was there with four people she knew saying they needed a lift as well, she was always trying to help people out.
“She was due to go to one at the O2 Academy in Liverpool on Tuesday. She’d bought a new outfit for it especially.
“Sarah was a very bright woman, outgoing and bubbly. She was really generous, always lending people money when they needed it.”
