London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 05, 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
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
×