Reference tool · Reviewed July 25, 2026
GLP-1 dose schedules
People search for a “GLP-1 dose calculator”. There isn't one — and that is the useful answer. Dosing is a fixed escalation printed in each drug's FDA label. Here is that schedule, drug by drug.
Key takeaways
- GLP-1 dosing is a fixed escalation published in each drug’s FDA label — it is not calculated from your weight, age or goal.
- Semaglutide products (Wegovy, Ozempic) start at 0.25 mg weekly; tirzepatide products (Zepbound, Mounjaro) start at 2.5 mg weekly.
- The starting dose is not a treatment dose. It exists to let the gut adjust, which is why side effects peak right after each step up.
- Missed-dose windows differ by molecule: about 5 days for semaglutide, about 4 days for tirzepatide — past that you skip and resume, never double up.
- Staying below the maximum dose is a normal planned outcome. Prescribers routinely slow, pause or hold escalation based on tolerance.
Wegovy (Semaglutide) — approved schedule
Taken once weekly. Steps below are the escalation published in the FDA-approved prescribing information — not a dose worked out for you.
- 1
Week 1–4 — 0.25 mg
Starting dose — body adjusts
- 2
Week 5–8 — 0.5 mg
Step up
- 3
Week 9–12 — 1.0 mg
Step up
- 4
Week 13+ — 1.7–2.4 mg
Titrate every 4 weeks to 2.4 mg (Wegovy) or 1.0–2.0 mg (Ozempic)
Missed a dose? Take within 5 days of missed dose; otherwise skip and resume schedule.
Your prescriber sets your dose. Escalation is often slowed, paused, or held at a lower step depending on how you tolerate it — staying below the maximum is a normal, planned outcome, not a failure. Never change a dose or jump a step on your own, and never double up to catch up on a missed one.
Why no legitimate tool computes your dose
For most medications, dose scales with something measurable — body weight, kidney function, blood levels. GLP-1s do not work that way. Every patient walks the same published ladder, and the only variable is how fast you climb it and where you stop, which is a judgement your prescriber makes from how you tolerate each step.
That is why a calculator promising “your” dose from a few inputs is either restating the label with extra steps, or inventing a number. The second is dangerous: the FDA has published overdose reports tied to GLP-1 dosing confusion, and the pattern behind them is people acting on a figure that did not come from a label. If you use a vial-and-syringe product, the milligrams-versus-units conversion is where those errors actually happen.
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Common questions about GLP-1 dose schedules
Is there a GLP-1 dose calculator?
Not in the sense of a tool that computes a personal dose, and you should be wary of any that claims to. GLP-1 dosing follows a fixed escalation schedule printed in each product’s FDA-approved label — it is not derived from your weight or body composition. What is genuinely useful is seeing that published schedule, which is what this page shows. Your prescriber decides which step you are on and when, or whether to hold you at a lower one.
What dose do you start semaglutide on?
Injectable semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic) starts at 0.25 mg once weekly for the first four weeks. The label is explicit that this start-up dose is not intended for glycemic control — it exists so the gut can adapt before the dose climbs. Oral semaglutide (Rybelsus) uses a different schedule, starting at 3 mg daily.
What dose do you start tirzepatide on?
Tirzepatide (Zepbound, Mounjaro) starts at 2.5 mg once weekly for four weeks, then moves to 5 mg. Further increases are made in 2.5 mg steps at intervals of at least four weeks, up to the approved maximum, and only as tolerated.
How long does it take to reach the full GLP-1 dose?
Months rather than weeks, by design. Each step is held for about four weeks before the next increase, so reaching a maintenance dose typically takes four to five months on either molecule. Escalating faster is the most common self-inflicted cause of nausea severe enough to make people quit a drug that was working.
What happens if I miss a GLP-1 dose?
It depends on the molecule and how long it has been. Semaglutide can generally be taken within about 5 days of the missed dose; tirzepatide within about 4. Beyond that window, skip the missed dose and resume your normal schedule. Never take two doses to catch up — that is a self-inflicted overdose, not a correction.
Schedules reflect the FDA-approved prescribing information for each product as of July 2026. General information, not medical advice — your prescriber sets and adjusts your dose.