Aishwarya Mohanraj, a content producer and standup comedian, recently talked about her experience with quick weight reduction and weight fluctuations. In a YouTube video, she disclosed that a medication-based strategy was used to achieve her metamorphosis.
I grew up as a skinny kid, she remarked, recalling that family members made physical remarks about her from a young age. The world is made for slim girls, so being thin was never a problem, she said.
She noted that despite her initial attempts at diet, exercise, hydration, and daily step objectives, PCOD, hypothyroidism, and insulin resistance caused her weight to rise dramatically. She also talked about receiving a clinical depression diagnosis during this time, calling it a crazy period when she felt like she was spreading like ginger and developed severe insecurities about her appearance.
My double chin was my biggest and most crazy insecurity. I ceased producing videos. Because I couldn’t see myself, I stopped using the internet, she stated.
Mohanraj revealed that in just six months, her weight increased from about 51 kg to almost 70 kg in early 2021. The scale did not change much, even though she eventually worked with a nutritionist and trainer and noticed changes in body measurements. She had to stop exercising due to health issues like plantar fasciitis and elevated uric acid levels.
She eventually received a prescription for Mounjaro, a drug that helps adults with type 2 diabetes better control their blood sugar levels and manage their weight over time. I lost four kilograms that month, she claimed, describing the outcomes. For six months, I took this medication once a week.
My weight dropped from 74 kg to 52 kg in these six months. It’s quick. It is insane. It’s insane and crazy. She also acknowledged the expenses and adverse effects: I lost a lot of hair and experienced severe nausea within the first month. I would be negligent if I did not point up the high cost of this medication. It really is. Each shot costs ₹4,000. so that you can calculate.
But how do weight-loss drugs work in the body, and who are they medically appropriate for?
Mounjaro, or tirzepatide, belongs to a newer class of medications that act on hormones involved in blood sugar regulation and appetite control, says Dr. Palleti Siva Karthik Reddy, MBBS, MD, general medicine, FAIG, consultant physician at Elite Care Clinic.
It functions similarly to incretin hormones, which slow down stomach emptying, help the pancreas produce insulin more efficiently, and alert the brain when the stomach is full. When combined, these benefits enhance glucose metabolism and lower caloric consumption.
People with type 2 diabetes, obesity, or metabolic disorders like insulin resistance and PCOD, where being overweight deteriorates health outcomes, are usually administered these drugs. They should only be used following a medical evaluation of body mass index, metabolic profile, and existing health risks, they are not cosmetic weight loss drugs, emphasizes Dr. Reddy.
When are medically supervised treatments a reasonable option?
In addition to willpower and discipline, biology, hormones, and metabolism all have a significant impact on weight regulation. Medically supervised treatment becomes a valid and evidence based option when individuals have conditions like type 2 diabetes, PCOD, obesity with comorbidities, or clinically significant insulin resistance, says Dr. Reddy.
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BMI, metabolic risk, prior weight loss attempts, and the existence of obesity related to some of the criteria that typically influence the decision. The expert emphasizes that medicine may be taken into consideration as part of comprehensive care if lifestyle changes alone have not yielded significant or long lasting results.
