Semaglutide dosage chart
Injectable semaglutide starts at 0.25 mg once weekly and steps up every 4 weeks — to a maximum of 2.4 mg for Wegovy (weight loss) or 2.0 mg for Ozempic (diabetes). The 0.25 mg starting dose exists only to let your gut adjust; the label says it isn’t effective on its own.
| Dose | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.25 mg | Weeks 1–4 | Starting dosage on the injection. Not a maintenance dose. |
| 0.5 mg | Weeks 5–8 | Second step |
| 1 mg | Weeks 9–12 | Third step, and Ozempic's usual maintenance dose |
| 1.7 mg | Weeks 13–16 | Fourth step, and a maintenance option the Wegovy label names |
| 2.4 mg | Week 17 onward | Wegovy's usual maintenance dose. Ozempic tops out at 2 mg. |
Wegovy vs Ozempic vs Rybelsus doses
Semaglutide is the only GLP-1 sold as both an injection and a pill, and the three brands don’t share a dose:
| Brand | Form | Starting dose | Steps up to | Approved for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wegovy | Weekly injection | 0.25 mg | 2.4 mg | Weight loss |
| Ozempic | Weekly injection | 0.25 mg | 2.0 mg | Type 2 diabetes |
| Rybelsus | Daily pill | 3 mg | 14 mg | Type 2 diabetes |
Oral Rybelsus is dosed daily, not weekly — 3 mg for the first 30 days, then 7 mg, then 14 mg. It’s absorbed poorly, so it has to be taken first thing on an empty stomach with no more than a sip of water, then nothing else (food, drink, or other pills) for 30 minutes.
What if you miss a dose?
The window is set by each brand’s label, not by the molecule — Ozempic and Wegovy are the same drug with different missed-dose rules. For Ozempic, take a missed dose within 5 days (⚠ verify against the current DailyMed label). For Wegovy, take it within 2 days (48 hours). Past the window, skip it and resume on your normal day. For daily Rybelsus, just skip the missed tablet and take the next one the following morning. Never double up either way.
Semaglutide dosage in units (compounded)
Brand Wegovy, Ozempic, and Rybelsus are dosed in milligrams — no conversion needed. Compounded semaglutide is drawn from a vial with a U-100 insulin syringe, so a prescribed milligram dose has to be converted to units for your vial’s concentration.
Units calculator
Convert a prescribed milligram dose to units on a U-100 insulin syringe.
10 units
0.25 mg ÷ 2.5 mg/mL × 100 = draw to the 10-unit mark (0.1 mL)
A conversion aid only, not dosing advice. Compounded vials vary in concentration; always confirm your exact dose and vial strength with your prescriber and the dispensing pharmacy before drawing a dose.
Results by dose
In the 68-week STEP 1 trial, adults with obesity lost an average of ~15% of body weight on the 2.4 mg Wegovy dose. Lower diabetes doses (Ozempic 1–2 mg) produce less weight loss — a consistent pattern where the higher weight-loss dose does more of the work. Every figure assumes the trial conditions of weekly dosing plus diet and activity.