GLP-1 Dosing Schedule Calculator & Dosage Charts: Zepbound, Mounjaro, Wegovy & Ozempic
Every GLP-1 starts low and steps up, so the stomach can adjust. The steps differ by medicine: 2.5 mg jumps for tirzepatide, five fixed steps for Wegovy, 30-day steps for the pills. Enter your start date below and get your own calendar, with the dates each new strength begins, when to ask for the next refill and what the self-pay price is at each step. The charts under it show every label schedule side by side.
Medically reviewed Medically reviewed by Angelo DeFazio, R.Ph. — NPI 1629115530 · Last updated 2026-10-23
GLP-1 doses go up in steps, every 4 weeks for weekly injections and every 30 days for daily pills, to keep nausea down. At the fastest pace the FDA labels allow:
- Zepbound and Mounjaro: 2.5 mg, then 5 mg, then up 2.5 mg at a time. 15 mg starts in week 21.
- Wegovy pen: 0.25 → 0.5 → 1 → 1.7 mg, then 2.4 mg from week 17 (7.2 mg Wegovy HD from week 21 at the earliest).
- Ozempic pen: 0.25 → 0.5 → 1 mg, then 2 mg from week 13 at the earliest.
- Pills: Wegovy pill reaches 25 mg on day 91; Foundayo reaches 17.2 mg on day 151.
The first dose of each is a starting dose only. Many people stay on a step longer, or never need the top dose.
Pick your medicine and start date to get your dose-by-dose calendar, built from the FDA label. Print it or add it to your phone's calendar.
Arrow Pharmacy · 500 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, CT · (860) 522-9289 · arrowrxcenter.com · Printed from the FDA label schedule; follow your prescriber's instructions.
Zepbound and Mounjaro dosage charts
Zepbound and Mounjaro are the same medicine, tirzepatide, made by Eli Lilly. Zepbound is approved for weight loss and sleep apnea and Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes. Both use the same steps: 2.5 mg for 4 weeks, then 5 mg, then 2.5 mg increases, each after at least 4 weeks on the current dose.
| Dose | Earliest start | Time on this dose | What it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 mg | Week 1 | 4 weeks | Starting dose only, to let your stomach adjust |
| 5 mg | Week 5 | At least 4 weeks before any increase | Maintenance dose |
| 7.5 mg | Week 9 | At least 4 weeks before any increase | Step toward a maintenance dose |
| 10 mg | Week 13 | At least 4 weeks before any increase | Maintenance dose |
| 12.5 mg | Week 17 | At least 4 weeks before any increase | Step toward a maintenance dose |
| 15 mg | Week 21 | Ongoing | Maintenance dose (maximum) |
| Dose | Earliest start | Time on this dose | What it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 mg | Week 1 | 4 weeks | Starting dose only, to let your stomach adjust |
| 5 mg | Week 5 | At least 4 weeks before any increase | Maintenance dose |
| 7.5 mg | Week 9 | At least 4 weeks before any increase | Maintenance dose |
| 10 mg | Week 13 | At least 4 weeks before any increase | Maintenance dose |
| 12.5 mg | Week 17 | At least 4 weeks before any increase | Maintenance dose |
| 15 mg | Week 21 | Ongoing | Maintenance dose (maximum) |
The one real difference is which doses count as maintenance. For weight loss, Zepbound's label lists 5, 10 and 15 mg; 7.5 and 12.5 mg are steps on the way. Mounjaro can be held at any dose from 5 to 15 mg. More on Zepbound's pens, vials and prices is on our Zepbound page.
Wegovy and Ozempic dosage charts
Wegovy and Ozempic are both semaglutide from Novo Nordisk, but their schedules are not interchangeable. Wegovy (weight loss, heart-risk reduction, MASH) has a fixed 5-step climb to 2.4 mg. Ozempic (type 2 diabetes) stops climbing as soon as blood sugar is controlled, at 0.5, 1 or 2 mg.
| Dose | Earliest start | Time on this dose | What it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.25 mg | Week 1 | 4 weeks | Starting dose only, to let your stomach adjust |
| 0.5 mg | Week 5 | 4 weeks | Step toward a maintenance dose |
| 1 mg | Week 9 | 4 weeks | Step toward a maintenance dose |
| 1.7 mg | Week 13 | 4 weeks, or ongoing if this is your maintenance dose | Maintenance dose |
| 2.4 mg | Week 17 | Ongoing (at least 4 weeks before the next option) | Maintenance dose |
| 7.2 mg | Week 21 or later | Ongoing | Wegovy HD. Only after at least 4 weeks on 2.4 mg, if more weight loss is needed. |
| Dose | Earliest start | Time on this dose | What it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.25 mg | Week 1 | 4 weeks | Starting dose only, to let your stomach adjust |
| 0.5 mg | Week 5 | At least 4 weeks before any increase | Maintenance dose |
| 1 mg | Week 9 | At least 4 weeks before any increase | Maintenance dose |
| 2 mg | Week 13 | Ongoing | Maintenance dose (maximum) |
The June 2026 label added 7.2 mg for adults who have tolerated 2.4 mg for at least 4 weeks and need more weight loss. It isn't part of the standard climb. Most people stay on 2.4 mg. See our Wegovy page for the pen types and the 7.2 mg trial results.
GLP-1 pill dosing: Wegovy pill, Ozempic pill, Rybelsus, Foundayo
The pills step up every 30 days instead of every 4 weeks. Three of them are oral semaglutide with strict morning rules. Foundayo (orforglipron) is a different molecule and has none.
| Dose | Earliest start | Time on this dose | What it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 mg | Day 1 | 30 days | Starting dose only, to let your stomach adjust |
| 4 mg | Day 31 | 30 days | Step toward a maintenance dose |
| 9 mg | Day 61 | 30 days | Step toward a maintenance dose |
| 25 mg | Day 91 | Ongoing | Maintenance dose (maximum) |
| Dose | Earliest start | Time on this dose | What it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.8 mg | Day 1 | 30 days | Starting dose only, to let your stomach adjust |
| 2.5 mg | Day 31 | At least 30 days before any increase | Step toward a maintenance dose |
| 5.5 mg | Day 61 | At least 30 days before any increase | Maintenance dose |
| 9 mg | Day 91 | At least 30 days before any increase | Maintenance dose |
| 14.5 mg | Day 121 | At least 30 days before any increase | Maintenance dose |
| 17.2 mg | Day 151 | Ongoing | Maintenance dose (maximum) |
| Dose | Earliest start | Time on this dose | What it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 mg | Day 1 | 30 days | Starting dose only, to let your stomach adjust |
| 4 mg | Day 31 | At least 30 days before any increase | Maintenance dose |
| 9 mg | Day 61 | Ongoing | Maintenance dose (maximum) |
| Dose | Earliest start | Time on this dose | What it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 mg | Day 1 | 30 days | Starting dose only, to let your stomach adjust |
| 7 mg | Day 31 | At least 30 days before any increase | Maintenance dose |
| 14 mg | Day 61 | Ongoing | Maintenance dose (maximum) |
Wegovy pill, Ozempic pill, Rybelsus
- First thing in the morning, on an empty stomach
- With no more than 4 oz of plain water
- Wait at least 30 minutes before food, coffee or other pills
- Swallow whole; never split, crush or chew
Foundayo
- Once a day, any time
- With or without food
- Swallow whole
- Tell your pharmacist about other medicines: some strong CYP3A4 drugs cap the dose at 9 mg
Ozempic tablets and Rybelsus are both semaglutide pills, but the label says they are not interchangeable mg for mg: 4 mg of Ozempic tablets isn't the same exposure as 7 mg of Rybelsus. Switching between them, or from the Ozempic pen, follows its own label instructions, so ask your prescriber.
How fast each one reaches its top dose
Source: current FDA prescribing information for each medicine (DailyMed). Daily-pill days converted to weeks. Many people stay on a lower dose longer or never need the top dose.
The race is a planning number, not a goal. Side effects such as nausea, diarrhea and vomiting are most common in the weeks right after each step up, which is why the labels set a minimum time on each dose. If a step is rough, staying on it longer is normal: the Wegovy label explicitly allows delaying a step by 4 weeks.
Does a higher dose mean more weight loss?
On average, yes, but with diminishing returns. These are the FDA-label trial results. They come from different trials and durations, so compare doses of the same medicine, not one medicine against another:
Sources: Zepbound (Study 1, placebo 3.1%), Wegovy (pen 2.4 mg placebo 2.4%; 7.2 mg trial placebo 3.9%; pill placebo 2.4%) and Foundayo prescribing information. Bars scaled to 20.9%.
For Zepbound, going from 5 mg to 15 mg added about 6 percentage points of weight loss on average. Some people reach their goal on a lower dose and stay there, and that is an approved way to use it. Full results by medicine are on the Zepbound and Wegovy pages. Cost per dose is in our GLP-1 price guide.
Missed doses and changing your injection day
| Medicine | Missed a dose | Missed several | Changing your day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zepbound, Mounjaro | Take it within 4 days (96 hours), otherwise skip it | Ask your prescriber before restarting | OK if doses are at least 3 days (72 hours) apart |
| Ozempic pen | Take it within 5 days, otherwise skip it | Ask your prescriber before restarting | OK if doses are at least 2 days (48 hours) apart |
| Wegovy pen | Take it if the next dose is more than 2 days away; otherwise skip it | 2 or more in a row: restart at a lower dose | Keep the same day; ask us before moving it |
| Wegovy pill, Ozempic pill, Rybelsus | Skip it; take the next one tomorrow | Ask your prescriber before restarting | Daily, every morning |
| Foundayo | Take it when you remember; never double up | 7 or more days in a row: restart at a lower dose | Daily, any time |
What not to do with your doses
Do
- Inject on the same day each week and keep a calendar (the button above exports one)
- Stay on a dose longer if side effects haven't settled. That's within the label
- Ask your prescriber for the next strength a week or more before you need it
- Get new-device training when you switch between pens, KwikPens, vials or pills
Don't
- Count pen "clicks" or try to dial doses between the labeled ones
- Split, share or reuse a pen across people, even with a new needle
- Double up after a missed dose, or skip ahead to a higher strength
- Measure compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide in "units" without checking the mg conversion with your pharmacist
About "microdosing": low, off-label doses of GLP-1s get a lot of attention online, but no FDA label includes them. Pens are built to deliver the labeled doses only. The FDA has also reported overdoses from people measuring compounded semaglutide by the wrong unit. If a starting dose is too strong, the label's answer is to stay on it longer. Ask your prescriber before trying anything else.
Filling each new strength at Arrow Pharmacy
Every step up is a new product: a different pen, carton or bottle. That makes refill timing the most common snag in the first 5 months:
- Ask a week ahead. Your prescriber needs to send the new strength (or have refills on it), and we make sure it's in stock. The calculator's "ask by" date is built for this.
- Insurance may recheck. Some plans review prior authorization when the dose changes. We'll tell you before you're out.
- Savings cards. We fill covered Zepbound, Wegovy and Ozempic with the manufacturers' commercial savings cards. Arrow can't process the Zepbound KwikPen self-pay card; for that route we'll point you to LillyDirect. Who qualifies for which card is in our savings card guide.
- Device training when the device changes. Single-dose pens, KwikPens and vials hold different volumes per dose. Ask our pharmacist to walk you through the new one at pickup.
Call Arrow Pharmacy at (860) 522-9289. We'll check your coverage at the new strength, have it ready on your "ask by" date, and deliver free in the Hartford area. If you're switching pharmacies, we can transfer the prescription for you.
Frequently asked questions
What is the dosing schedule for Zepbound?
Zepbound starts at 2.5 mg once a week for 4 weeks, then goes to 5 mg. After at least 4 weeks on a dose, your prescriber can raise it by 2.5 mg: 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg and 15 mg. The maintenance doses are 5, 10 or 15 mg for weight loss and 10 or 15 mg for sleep apnea. At the fastest label pace, 15 mg starts in week 21.
What is the Wegovy dosing schedule?
The Wegovy pen goes 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg and 1.7 mg, each for 4 weeks, then 2.4 mg from week 17. Adults who tolerate 2.4 mg for at least 4 weeks and need more weight loss can move to 7.2 mg (Wegovy HD). The Wegovy pill goes 1.5 mg, 4 mg and 9 mg for 30 days each, then 25 mg daily from day 91.
What is the Mounjaro dosage chart?
Mounjaro starts at 2.5 mg weekly for 4 weeks, then 5 mg. If blood sugar needs more control, the dose can go up by 2.5 mg after at least 4 weeks on the current dose: 7.5, 10, 12.5 and 15 mg. Any dose from 5 to 15 mg can be a maintenance dose. 15 mg is the adult maximum and can start in week 21 at the earliest.
What is the highest dose of Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound and Mounjaro?
Ozempic: 2 mg weekly. Wegovy: 2.4 mg weekly, or 7.2 mg with Wegovy HD. Zepbound and Mounjaro: 15 mg weekly. Wegovy pill: 25 mg daily. Ozempic pill: 9 mg daily. Rybelsus: 14 mg daily. Foundayo: 17.2 mg daily (9 mg if you also take a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor).
Do I have to go up to the highest dose?
No. The labels set a minimum time on each dose, not a requirement to keep climbing. Zepbound 5 mg and Wegovy 1.7 mg are approved maintenance doses, and the Wegovy label says to consider delaying a step by 4 weeks if a dose isn't tolerated. Your prescriber weighs your results against side effects. The 2.5 mg Zepbound and 0.25 mg Wegovy or Ozempic doses are starting doses only, not maintenance doses.
What dose of Zepbound is most effective?
In the main 72-week FDA trial, average weight loss was 15.0% at 5 mg, 19.5% at 10 mg and 20.9% at 15 mg, versus 3.1% on placebo. Higher doses lost more on average, but 5 mg already produced most of the effect, and side effects rise during each step up. The right dose is the one that works for you at a tolerable level of side effects.
What happens if I miss a dose of my GLP-1?
It depends on the medicine. Zepbound and Mounjaro: take it within 4 days, otherwise skip it. Ozempic: within 5 days. Wegovy pen: take it if the next dose is more than 2 days away; missing 2 or more doses in a row means restarting at a lower dose. Wegovy pill, Ozempic pill and Rybelsus: skip it and take the next one tomorrow. Foundayo: take it when you remember, and restart lower after 7 or more missed days.
Can I start Wegovy at 1.7 mg or skip a step?
The label doesn't include that. Every Wegovy start, including for heart-risk reduction, begins at 0.25 mg and steps up every 4 weeks, because starting high sharply raises nausea and vomiting. If you stopped for 2 or more doses, the label says to restart at a lower dose rather than where you left off. Ask your prescriber how to restart.
Is microdosing Ozempic or counting pen clicks safe?
Neither is an FDA-approved way to dose. The pens are designed and tested to deliver the labeled doses only, so a partial or click-counted dose hasn't been checked for accuracy, and compounded vials have led to FDA reports of overdoses from measuring errors. If a starting dose feels too strong, the label route is to stay on it longer. Ask your prescriber rather than improvising.
When should I order the next strength?
About a week before the new strength starts. Each strength is a different pen, carton or tablet, so the pharmacy needs a prescription for it, and some insurance plans recheck prior authorization when the dose changes. The calculator above lists an "ask by" date for every step. Call Arrow Pharmacy and we'll have it ready.
Sources
- ZEPBOUND (tirzepatide) injection — prescribing information, Dosage and Administration (revised August 2026) — U.S. National Library of Medicine (DailyMed) / Eli Lilly and Company
- MOUNJARO (tirzepatide) injection — prescribing information (revised August 2026) — U.S. National Library of Medicine (DailyMed) / Eli Lilly and Company
- WEGOVY (semaglutide) injection and tablets — prescribing information, Tables 1 and 2 (revised June 2026) — U.S. National Library of Medicine (DailyMed) / Novo Nordisk
- OZEMPIC (semaglutide) injection — prescribing information (revised June 2026) — U.S. National Library of Medicine (DailyMed) / Novo Nordisk
- RYBELSUS and OZEMPIC (semaglutide) tablets — prescribing information (revised August 2026) — U.S. National Library of Medicine (DailyMed) / Novo Nordisk
- FOUNDAYO (orforglipron) tablets — prescribing information (revised July 2026) — U.S. National Library of Medicine (DailyMed) / Eli Lilly and Company
- FDA warns about dosing errors with compounded injectable semaglutide products — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Zepbound coverage and savings (self-pay pricing by dose) — Eli Lilly and Company
- Save on Wegovy (NovoCare self-pay pricing for the pen, Wegovy HD and the pill) — Novo Nordisk
- Save on Ozempic (self-pay pricing for the Ozempic pen and pill) — Novo Nordisk
- Foundayo coverage and savings (self-pay prices by dose) — Eli Lilly and Company