How GLP-1 dosing works
Every GLP-1 medication starts at a low “get-used-to-it” dose and steps up on a fixed schedule. The starting dose isn’t meant to treat anything, it’s there to let your body adjust and blunt the nausea. The chart above shows the standard titration for each drug; pick yours to see the week-by-week climb, the maintenance range, and the missed-dose rule.
Two principles apply across all of them:
- Slow is the point. Doses step up no faster than every four weeks for the weekly drugs (Saxenda is the exception, increasing weekly). Rushing the schedule is the fastest way to get sidelined by nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
- You don’t have to reach the maximum. The right maintenance dose is the lowest one that gives you good results with side effects you can live with. Plenty of people do well below the top of the range.
Reading the chart
Each step shows a dose and the weeks it typically covers. The final, highlighted step is the maintenance dose, where you stay once you’ve titrated up. The facts below the timeline summarize the four things people most often look up: the starting dose, the typical maintenance dose, the maximum, and what to do if you miss one.
A few drug-specific notes worth knowing:
- Tirzepatide (Zepbound, Mounjaro) has the most steps, six doses from 2.5 to 15 mg. The label moves in 2.5 mg increments after at least 4 weeks, so 7.5 and 12.5 mg are steps on that ladder rather than stops to skip past. Many people stop climbing before 15 mg, which is a different thing from jumping a rung: 5 mg straight to 10 mg is a 5 mg increase, double what the label describes.
- Semaglutide differs by product: Wegovy climbs to 2.4 mg for weight loss, Ozempic tops out at 2 mg for diabetes, and Rybelsus is a daily tablet with its own rules (empty stomach, 4 oz of water, wait 30 minutes).
- Saxenda (liraglutide) is a daily injection, not weekly, and increases every week to 3 mg.
The missed-dose rule
Missing a dose is common and usually not a big deal, but the fix depends on the drug and timing. For the weekly injections, the general logic is: if your next scheduled dose is still several days away, take the missed one when you remember; if it’s coming up soon, skip it and get back on schedule. Never take two doses close together to “catch up”. That stacks side effects. The chart shows each drug’s specific window; the daily drugs (Saxenda, Rybelsus) simply skip and resume the next day.
Compounded vs. brand dosing
If you’re on a compounded version, the dose targets are the same as the branded chart, but you measure them in units on a syringe rather than dialing a pen, and the vial’s concentration changes where each dose lands. Use this chart for the schedule, then the GLP-1 dose calculator to turn each milligram dose into syringe units. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved for safety, effectiveness, or quality.
Important note
These are the standard schedules from each drug’s FDA label. Your own plan may differ. Prescribers routinely hold people at a dose longer, slow the climb, or stop below the maximum based on how you’re tolerating it. Always follow the specific instructions your clinician and pharmacy gave you over a general chart. This tool is educational and descriptive, not medical advice or a dosing instruction.