‘Side effects of steroid medication’: Priya Mohan on her battle with fibromyalgia, slams those body-shaming her | Malayalam News
4 min readKochiFeb 11, 2026 07:07 PM IST
Coming down heavily on those passing unsolicited and insensitive comments about her physical changes online, actor-turned-social media influencer Priya Mohan, the sister of noted actor Poornima Indrajith, revealed that the weight gain is the after-effect of the steroid medication she has been taking for a chronic health condition that has severely disrupted her life. She also requested that such netizens spare her from their judgments.
A few months ago, Priya had revealed that she’s battling fibromyalgia, a chronic health condition that apparently causes unbearable pain in the muscles and joints. Although its symptoms surfaced in 2023, she was diagnosed with the disease only recently. Since then, Priya has often talked about fibromyalgia and the mental and emotional toll it has taken on her and her family, openly sharing her experiences on social media. Despite the challenges, she has not allowed the disease to overpower her. In fact, even amid all the physical and emotional distress, she has remained active online, frequently sharing new episodes of her popular vlog, which she creates with her husband, former actor Nihal Pillai.
Nonetheless, her latest post serves as proof that the comments from certain netizens have been bothering and scarring her, particularly since they target an aspect of her life that’s beyond her control at the moment. “This is for those who keep asking me what’s going on with me and seem to have too much time to comment on others’ lives,” she wrote on Instagram. Priya added, “Yes, I have gained some weight. Yes, my face and eyes look puffy. Yes, I look tired most of the time. These are side effects of the steroid medication I’m taking for fibromyalgia.”
She continued, “Right now, I choose my health over appearance, and that’s a choice I’m proud of. Beauty can wait — healing cannot. So let’s all just chill. There’s so much more to life than judging someone else’s journey. Live and let live.”
For the unversed, fibromyalgia is a complex condition that causes chronic, unbearable pain in the muscles and joints, along with severe fatigue. The disease affects both quality of life and mobility, and often goes unrecognised. Fibromyalgia causes not just physical pain but also impacts one’s emotional and mental health. Symptoms include pain felt across the body, fatigue and lack of energy that persists even after long hours of sleep, insomnia, fibro fog (difficulty concentrating and remembering things), chronic headaches, abdominal issues, depression, and anxiety.
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Last year, both Priya and Nihal candidly spoke about her battle with fibromyalgia. In a video posted on their YouTube channel, she said, “I was in so much pain that I couldn’t pick my up son or even feed him. I struggled to get into a high vehicle. I needed somebody else’s help to get out of bed, change clothes, or even scratch my back. I couldn’t lift a plate or glass. I often wondered why I should live like this. Besides, I was also struggling with severe depression and insomnia. I had even sat up until six in the morning.”
Priya Mohan is known for her roles in films like The Campus and Utharam Parayathe. She has also acted in a few television serials. Known for his notable roles in movies such as Mumbai Police and Tiyaan, her husband Nihal Pillai now focuses on business and manages their social media accounts alongside Priya. Her sister Poornima, besides being a renowned thespian herself, is married to actor Indrajith Sukumaran.
