Introduction
For decades, weight loss was a battle fought with diet charts, macro tracking, gym memberships, and sheer willpower. Now, tiny injections promise to melt away kilos without the need to do anything. From Bollywood & TV celebrities to your neighbour next door, everyone is whispering about the new ‘miracle’ drugs. But do anti-obesity medications deliver, or are we just dressing up old hopes in a shiny new lab coat?
According to the Niyantrita Madhumeha Bharata Abhiyaan 2017, 1 in 3 individuals are overweight or obese in India. Most of these individuals cannot break the patterns due to workload, stress, sedentary life, infants at home, processed food, etc, thus increasing the risk of disorders.
It is a universal fact now that following a healthy dietary pattern, reducing caloric intake, and engaging in physical activity are the bases for achieving long-term weight loss. However, because making diet and lifestyle changes can be difficult, many people turn to supplements promoted for weight loss in the hope that these products will help them achieve their weight-loss goals more easily.
Manufacturers market these products with various claims & these products can contain dozens of ingredients, and some contain more than 90. Study shows common ingredients in these supplements include botanicals (herbs and other plant components), dietary fibre, caffeine, and minerals.
Amidst this is a product, Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, which were meant to treat T2D and obesity and are now used as a weight-loss tool, although it should be taken on prescription only.
In this Blog, we will discuss these medications in detail.
Can Weight loss medications help you lose weight?
The answer to this is not a clear black and white Yes or No. It’s a grey area that needs to be understood well, as the weight loss via this is not the way we usually think of it, and it needs to be viewed from a broader perspective.
Like I mentioned above, the key to fat loss is your overall calorie intake. When you consume fewer calories and burn more calories, you start burning fat. These products do the same thing.
Clinical trials show that people taking these medications alongside healthy eating and physical activity can lose between 5% and 15% of their body weight over several months. That is not a small number; in medical terms, even a 5% weight loss can reduce the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and fatty liver disease.
To put that into perspective, if someone weighs 90 kilos, even the lower end of 5% weight loss means shedding about 4.5 kilos, which is often enough to measurably improve blood sugar and blood pressure. At the higher end, 15% would be over 13 kilos, which will change the body inside out if done smartly.
What are these drugs called?
Several GLP-1 (Glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonist medications are available in India. These include:
- Semaglutide (brand names: Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy),
- Liraglutide (brand names: Victoza, Saxenda),
- Dulaglutide (brand name: Trulicity),
- Exenatide (brand names: Byetta, Bydureon BCise),
- Tirzepatide (brand name: Mounjaro).
Out of these, Ozempic is the most famous and heard of, as there are speculations that celebrities like Karan Johar, Ram Kapoor, Kapil Sharma, Badshah, and Vidya Balan have used it to lose weight.
In India, Mounjaro has generated close to ₹100 crore in sales until July 2025, according to the pharma intelligence platform Pharmarack. Novo Nordisk, which launched the oral Semaglutide brand Rybelsus in 2022, has reported overall Semaglutide sales of over ₹421 crore as of July 2025, which is a clear indication of rampant use of these drugs.
How does GLP-1 work?
These drugs mimic GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1), a hormone your gut naturally releases after you eat, signalling your brain and body that food has arrived and energy is on the way.
They act on multiple organs:
- Brain (hypothalamus): GLP-1 receptors here reduce activity in the appetite-stimulating centres and increase satiety signals. You feel fuller faster and have fewer cravings.
- Stomach: They slow gastric emptying, meaning food stays in your stomach longer. This helps stretch the stomach wall and send stronger “I’m full” messages to the brain.
- Pancreas: They enhance glucose-dependent insulin secretion (insulin is only boosted when glucose is high, reducing hypoglycemia risk) and suppress glucagon release (which would otherwise raise blood sugar).
- Small intestine & liver: By slowing nutrient absorption and improving insulin sensitivity, they reduce post-meal blood sugar spikes.
Due to this, the overall calorie intake drops and weight loss begins, and unlike natural GLP-1, which is broken down in minutes, these drugs are modified to resist breakdown and last for a week. This allows for once-weekly dosing and consistent hormone-like signalling in the body.
Can You Just Walk Into a Pharmacy and Get These?
No, it is essential to remember that these are prescription medications and only approved for people who meet specific criteria. Ex: Adults diagnosed with obesity having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, or those with a BMI of 27 or higher, at least one weight-related condition, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or type 2 diabetes. Taking it solely for weight loss without proper medical guidance can be fatal, as these can have possible side effects that we will discuss later.
Still, that has not stopped the black marketing of these drugs in India, with these being available online even though they were not launched officially. Then some doctors prescribe these medications “off-label” for weight loss, and they are readily available OTC without a prescription, too, which means they are used for a different purpose than explicitly intended.
However, the larger issue is that many people see the new drugs as a quick-fix solution. Social media has amplified this, with influencers showcasing dramatic before-and-after pictures while glossing over medical supervision, dosage protocols, and potential risks.
Dr Vikas Singhal, senior consultant for gastrointestinal and bariatric surgery at Medanta Hospital, says, “These medicines are a resource to treat that segment of population for whom the right diet and exercise are not enough to lose weight, and for those who are not candidates for bariatric or metabolic surgery. But people should definitely not use them in a cosmetic manner to lose a few kilos,”
What about weight rebound if the medication stops?
The STEP 1 trial made headlines when it showed that weekly GLP-1 injections, combined with lifestyle changes, helped people shed an impressive ~17% of their body weight over 68 weeks. The study was sponsored by Novo Nordisk A/S, a company that makes GLP-1 meds. But then came the real test: what happens when the treatment stops? And that’s a fundamental question, as one cannot continue to be on such pills forever.
A Study showed that within a year of stopping both the medication and the structured lifestyle support, participants regained about two-thirds of the weight they had lost. The average net loss shrank to around 5.6% after 120 weeks.
And it wasn’t just the scale that reversed course. Those big wins in blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar? Most of them slid back toward their starting points.
The message is loud and clear: obesity isn’t a short-term battle, it’s a chronic condition. Even the most powerful tools, like GLP-1 medications, work only for as long as they’re part of the plan. Stopping them is like switching off a treadmill mid-run, momentum fades, and you slowly drift back to where you started.
Are there any Side effects of GLP-1?
Yes, some adverse drug reactions do take place, like:
- Hypoglycemia: GLP-1 agonists lower blood glucose and may cause hypoglycemia. The risk of hypoglycemia significantly increases with escalating doses.
- Gastrointestinal: The adverse effects most frequently reported include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, constipation, and diarrhoea. In addition, decreased appetite, dysgeusia, and dyspepsia have been documented.
- Renal: GLP-1 can result in acute kidney injury. Patients who experienced nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, or dehydration during the treatment were at the highest risk of acute kidney injury, with volume depletion being the suspected link.
- Gallbladder disorders: They have been associated with gallbladder and biliary tract issues, including cholelithiasis and cholecystitis.
- Anaphylaxis and angioedema: GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) can induce severe type 1 hypersensitivity reactions, such as anaphylaxis and angioedema.
- Diabetic retinopathy: GLP-1 use may potentially elevate the risk of diabetic retinopathy, particularly in patients with retinopathy at baseline.
- Suicidal behaviour has been reported with other medications prescribed for weight management. Patients with suicidal ideation should seek immediate assistance.
- They can potentially slow gastric emptying and impede the absorption of other medications.
Final Thoughts
GLP-1 weight loss medications aren’t a gimmick; they’re scientifically backed and genuinely helpful for many people. But they’re also not for everyone, and not DIY solutions you should experiment with because a celebrity or influencer said so.
These medications were designed to treat chronic conditions, not casual fat loss. When used correctly and under medical guidance, they can support real, meaningful change. But stopping them, misusing them, or relying solely on them without adjusting your lifestyle? That’s a recipe for rebound.
In short: GLP-1s can be part of the solution, but they’re not the whole story.
FAQs
Q1. Do GLP-1 medications guarantee weight loss?
No, they don’t guarantee results. They work best when combined with lifestyle changes like a balanced diet and physical activity.
Q2. Do GLP-1 medications melt fat directly?
No. They don’t burn fat by themselves. They reduce appetite and slow digestion, which lowers calorie intake. The weight loss comes from eating less, not from “melting fat.”.
Q3. Are GLP-1 medications safe for everyone?
No. They are only approved for people with obesity (BMI ≥30) or overweight (BMI ≥27) with a related condition such as diabetes, high BP, or high cholesterol. They must be taken only under medical supervision.
Q4. Can these drugs replace diet and exercise?
No. They suppress appetite and lower calorie intake, but without healthy lifestyle habits, the results are temporary.
Q5. Are there any natural alternatives to GLP-1 drugs?
Some foods (like protein, fibre-rich meals, and fermented foods) naturally trigger GLP-1 release, but the effect is much weaker compared to medication.
Q6. Can I buy GLP-1 medications online without a prescription?
Technically, no. These are prescription drugs. Buying them without medical guidance can be unsafe due to possible side effects and dosing issues.
Q7. Are these drugs the same as insulin injections?
No. They mimic GLP-1 hormone, not insulin. They help the body release insulin only when blood sugar is high, which is different from taking insulin directly.
Q8. Do GLP-1s completely cure obesity or diabetes?
No. They are a management tool, not a cure. Obesity and type 2 diabetes are chronic conditions that need ongoing lifestyle and sometimes medical support.
Q9. Can I take them just to lose 4-5 kilos for a wedding or holiday?
That’s unsafe and not recommended. These are potent medications meant for people with medical indications, not cosmetic quick fixes.
Q10. What’s the biggest risk with these medications?
Misuse, taking them without a prescription, ignoring side effects, or using them as a cosmetic shortcut rather than treating obesity as a chronic condition
