London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 24, 2025

'Fake prescription drugs left my son brain damaged'

'Fake prescription drugs left my son brain damaged'

Joe began buying what he believed were genuine diazepam and Xanex pills from the internet to help with anxiety.

But he became addicted to the fake pills - which he continued to believe were real - and earlier this year they almost killed him.

Joe had struggled with shyness in his late teens and, like many, he found moving away to university a challenge.

But when the 23-year-old returned home to rural mid Wales after his first year, mum Sarah was initially excited to see changes in him.

"I would say his personality had changed," said Sarah.

"He was much louder and almost like a little bit brash. Naively, I thought he'd just come out of his shell."

What Sarah didn't know was Joe - not their real names - had begun to self-medicate with what he believed were genuine diazepam and Xanax pills bought online in an effort to help with his anxiety.

It wasn't long before his family noticed other changes in him too.

His mum found Joe after he had overdosed on fake prescription pills and had suffered a cardiac arrest

"He go through phases of sleep walking, mood changes, very dilated pupils," said 25-year-old Alex, Joe's older sister.

"I asked him to talk to me as a sibling, I said I wouldn't say anything to mum and dad, but he never did."

When he returned to university for his second year, his mum began to get phone calls from him in the middle of the night.

"He said 'I've been using prescription drugs to try and help myself and I think it's getting out of control,'" said Sarah.

"I became aware he was buying them on the internet and that he was using them to address his mental health issues. He'd researched what he thought he needed to take - and in his mind he'd tackled the problem.

"But as things got worse I think he became very afraid that he was being overtaken by the addiction."

When he was at home normal-looking packages would arrive for him - inside were what he believed to be prescription drugs. He eventually showed his mum them, hoping to reassure her.

Prescription drugs have to be prescribed by your GP but many people, like Joe, are going online to buy pills that they believe are legitimate to avoid consulting with a doctor.

Joe's mum and sister had been getting worried about his sudden mood swings

"It was mostly diazepam," she said. "It was in fully printed and marked packaging with batch numbers, dates and the information leaflet inside.

"To me they were the genuine drugs - and to Joe they were the genuine drugs.

"He used to say to me 'I know not to take too many, I know how many I should take, I'm in control, don't worry mum.'

"It didn't for one minute enter my mind that it wasn't what it said on the tin."

However the pills weren't what they claimed to be.

Joe showed his mum the drugs he had bought online in an attempt to reassure her

According to drugs testing lab Wedinos, between 45% to 65% of benzodiazepines sent in for testing, which include diazepam and Xanax, are actually fakes.

These pills can use unregulated and much stronger ingredients, frequently leaving users with pills up to 10 times stronger than what they think they are taking.

Joe had no idea the pills he was taking were fake. Earlier this year his mum went to wake him, only to find he had overdosed.

"I could see as soon as I approached the door that he was lying across his bed," recalled Sarah.

"The look of him, the feel of him, it just said to me 'he's dead, he's gone.'

"I just became hysterical. There was no-one in the house. I dialled the emergency services - and I couldn't speak - I was just shouting."

The paramedics battled to save Joe's life for hours. Eventually a decision was made to try to move him to hospital.

According to a drugs testing lab about a half of benzodiazepines sent in for testing, which include diazepam and Xanax, are fakes.

Sarah was told he could die on the way down the stairs, let alone the long journey to the nearest emergency department.

Joe had suffered a cardiac arrest. He survived, but suffered major brain damage.

"The prescription drugs that Joe had been buying on the internet were not legitimate," she said.

"It wasn't what he believed, and I believed, was in the tablets.

Some drugs charities in Wales say referrals for benzodiazepines have gone up 150% in the past year, with many warning about the dangers of buying pills online.

"It is incredibly easy to be deceived," said Josie Smith, national lead for substance misuse at Public Health Wales.

"We're seeing very clever marketing of tablets that look exactly as you would find from a prescribed medication. Even in the blister packs, with the packaging, it can look really like a medication.

"Certainly in the past few years, not only in Wales but also right across in Europe, we know these drugs have become incredibly easy to obtain. They're highly available, even promoted through particular website or social media.

"I think that's the challenge that we need to address, to inform and to increase awareness around the risk of not knowing what it is that you're taking - even if it looks like something you've been prescribed in the past."

For Joe, just 23 and still - several months later - fighting for his life, it is too late.

But his family are speaking out in the hope of raising awareness.

"Joe's story is still unfolding," said his sister Alex.

"But if we can help even one family, to not go through what we're going through, then that would be job done."

The names of Joe and his family have been changed to protect their identities.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
×