India, March 2 -- C omedian Aishwarya Mohanraj recently spoke about her 22 kg weight loss with Mounjaro, sharing both the results and the side effects, including nausea, discomfort and hair loss. Her experience has revived discussion around how GLP-1 drugs actually work. Dr Manoj Bharucha, consultant in gastrointestinal surgery at PD Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Khar, Mumbai, stressed that these are not cosmetic fixes, but serious metabolic medications that require medical supervision. "Side effects like nausea or hair loss are real. These drugs are not shortcuts or beauty treatments. They are powerful metabolic therapies that need strict oversight," he said. Eligibility is clinical, not aesthetic: For South Asians, doctors often use lower BMI cut-offs due to higher metabolic risk at lower weights. "Mounjaro manages Type 2 diabetes, while Zepbound and Wegovy are approved for chronic weight management. They are meant for long-term disease control, not losing a few kilos for appearance," Dr Bharucha said. These injections can lead to 20 to 22 percent weight loss but may require long-term use. They are strictly avoided in pregnancy, pancreatitis and in those with a history of medullary thyroid cancer. "They should never be self-started. Medical guidance is essential," he added....