KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 12 -- In the weeks leading up to Chinese New Year and Ramadan, a familiar conversation plays out at aesthetic clinics - one increasingly shaped by social media.

As the festive season drives demand for quick weight-loss solutions, more walk-in patients are requesting Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) "slimming shots" they saw online, reflecting how social media hype has turned a prescription treatment for obesity and diabetes into what many now view as a lifestyle fix.

With heightened demand and normalisation, doctors say a dangerous misconception - that the drugs are a quick-fix cosmetic solution - must be corrected, as GLP-1 medications are intended for specific medical conditions and require careful medical supervisio...