Zepbound & Wegovy Dosage Chart: Titration Schedule

An interruption is a different question from routine titration. Read missed GLP-1 doses and restarting for the product-specific label distinctions to discuss with your pharmacist.

Both major GLP-1 molecules start low and step up gradually — that pattern is not a marketing choice, it is the labeled schedule that keeps the GI side effects manageable while the dose reaches an effective level. Here is exactly what each label specifies, pulled directly from the FDA-approved prescribing information for the brand products.

What is the Zepbound dosage chart?

Per Zepbound's FDA prescribing information, the starting dose for every use is 2.5 mg injected once weekly for 4 weeks. The label calls it a starting dose only, not a maintenance dose. After 4 weeks the dose goes to 5 mg once weekly, and from there it "may be increased in 2.5 mg increments, after at least 4 weeks on the current dose"¹. The weeks below are the fastest pace the label allows. Many people and prescribers deliberately go slower.

The maintenance dose for weight reduction is 5, 10 or 15 mg once weekly; for obstructive sleep apnea it's 10 or 15 mg. The maximum for every use is 15 mg once weekly¹. Counting the steps, the earliest anyone reaches 15 mg is week 21: five 4-week steps from 2.5 mg. For what each of those doses looks like in a syringe, see the tirzepatide dosage chart in mg and units.

Mounjaro, the same molecule labeled for type 2 diabetes, also starts at 2.5 mg weekly and goes up in 2.5 mg steps after at least 4 weeks on each dose, to a 15 mg maximum for adults; its label ties each increase to whether more blood sugar control is needed⁵. See Mounjaro vs Zepbound for why the identical drug comes with a very different price tag depending on which brand name is on the box.

What is the Wegovy dosage chart?

Per Wegovy's FDA prescribing information, the injection starts at 0.25 mg once weekly for weeks 1–4, a starting dose rather than a working one, then steps up every 4 weeks²:

For weight reduction in adults, the maintenance dose is 1.7 mg or 2.4 mg once weekly (2.4 mg recommended). The label also allows going up to a maximum of 7.2 mg once weekly for adults who have tolerated 2.4 mg for at least 4 weeks and need more weight loss². That higher ceiling arrived well after the original approval, and many patients don't know it exists. If a step isn't tolerated, the label suggests delaying the next increase by 4 weeks. At the standard pace, reaching 2.4 mg takes 16 weeks.

Wegovy also now comes as a once-daily tablet with its own, separate schedule: 1.5 mg for days 1–30, 4 mg for days 31–60, 9 mg for days 61–90, then 25 mg daily from day 91². The tablet and injection doses aren't interchangeable milligram for milligram; the Wegovy pill guide covers how the pill differs.

Why do GLP-1 doses start low and step up?

Both labels say the slow start is there to reduce the risk of stomach side effects¹². Both molecules were also titrated on this same step-up structure in their pivotal trials — the exact schedule tested is the schedule that produced the efficacy numbers cited throughout this site, for tirzepatide's SURMOUNT-1 results³ and semaglutide's STEP 1 results⁴ alike. A provider who titrates faster than the label — a real practice at some compounded telehealth providers chasing faster visible results — is running an untested schedule against the trial evidence that established both the efficacy and the side-effect profile these drugs are known for. Slower-than-labeled titration, by contrast, is common and generally considered reasonable when side effects warrant it; the label sets a maximum pace, not a mandatory one.

Is a faster titration schedule a better program?

If a compounded provider's plan looks meaningfully faster than the schedules above — reaching a high dose in under 8 weeks, for instance — that is a real deviation from the tested protocol worth asking about directly, not a sign of a better program. Confirm your provider's titration plan against these labeled schedules before you start, and reference them again any time a dose increase feels too aggressive for what you're experiencing. Some people deliberately do the opposite — staying at or near the starting dose long-term rather than titrating up; what the actual dose-response data shows about that is worth reading before you decide it's a free way to save money. If you've reached your labeled maintenance dose and results have slowed anyway, that's a different situation worth understanding on its own terms — see the GLP-1 weight-loss plateau for what the evidence says. And if a plateau or a supply issue has you asking about a different molecule entirely, switching from semaglutide to tirzepatide covers why there's no simple milligram conversion between the two labeled schedules above. If you're on the first dose and wondering when you should actually expect to feel anything, how long it takes for a GLP-1 to start working covers the trial timeline separately from the dosing schedule itself. And once you've settled on a schedule, how to actually inject semaglutide — sites, rotation, and what a missed dose means — covers the mechanics the label specifies. For the cost side of how titration pace affects your monthly bill as doses (and often prices) increase, see the true monthly cost of GLP-1, beyond the sticker price — and get the flat-price claim in writing, because a marketing promise and a provider's own systems do not always agree: Pepti advertises one flat price at every titration dose while its website also carries a per-dose price list that says the opposite. Not medical advice — your actual titration schedule should be set by a licensed clinician who knows your history; see our medical disclaimer.