GLP-1 dose chart: every label's dose steps

How do you read a label's dose schedule?

Most GLP-1 labels start with a low dose and raise it in steps. The chart puts time on the bottom, counted from week 1 (or day 1), the week of the first dose, and the dose in mg up the side.

• A solid line is a step the label always lists.
• A dashed line is an optional step: the label allows it but does not require it.
• A colored line with a dot is a maintenance dose, one the label intends people to stay on.
• The line marked "highest dose" is the top of the label's schedule.

Where a label says "after at least 4 weeks", the table gives the earliest week that allows. It is a minimum, not a date to aim for. This is how the labels compare at a glance:

The doses are in mg of different medicines, so a bigger number on one row does not mean a stronger treatment than on another.

Why are the steps 4 weeks apart?

The weekly injections step up every 4 weeks, or after at least 4 weeks. The EU product information for Wegovy gives the reason for going slowly: the dose is escalated over 16 weeks "To reduce the likelihood of gastrointestinal symptoms". The US Wegovy label adds that if a dose is not tolerated during escalation, the next step can be delayed by 4 weeks.

On the Wegovy table, 2.4 mg starts at week 17: four 4-week steps of 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 1.7 mg come first. Zepbound reaches 15 mg at week 21 at the earliest, after five steps.

The tablets count in days. The Wegovy pill steps every 30 days and reaches 25 mg on day 91. Foundayo allows each step after at least 30 days, so 17.2 mg comes on day 151 at the earliest. Saxenda is a daily injection with weekly steps: 0.6 mg in week 1, then 0.6 mg more each week, reaching 3 mg in week 5.

What does a maintenance dose mean?

A maintenance dose is a dose the label expects people to stay on, once the steps before it are done. Lower doses exist to start treatment. The Zepbound label is explicit: "The 2.5 mg dosage is for treatment initiation and is not approved as a maintenance dosage." The Saxenda label says the same of its lower doses: they "are for titration only".

Several labels list more than one maintenance dose. Wegovy names 1.7 mg or 2.4 mg (recommended) for weight reduction, and Ozempic names 0.5, 1 or 2 mg, depending on glycemic control. Which one applies is the prescriber's call.

What can the chart not tell you?

• Your own schedule. Labels allow a step to be delayed when a dose is not tolerated, and a prescriber may keep a person on a step for longer or choose a lower dose.
• Any dates. The chart has no start date and no calendar. For a missed or late dose, the label and the prescriber are the guide.
• A comparison of medicines. The labels cover different conditions and different people. The chart puts their schedules side by side and leaves the choice to the reader and their prescriber.
• Compounded products. They are not the approved medicines, and these label schedules do not describe them.
• Schedules for children. The chart shows the adult steps. Some labels have separate rules for children or teenagers.

What does the EU product information say differently?

• Wegovy 7.2 mg: in the EU only for adults with a BMI of 30 or more at the start of treatment, back to 2.4 mg if 7.2 mg brings no further benefit, and it can be given as three 2.4 mg injections.
• Wegovy pill: steps of at least 4 weeks instead of 30 days, a fast of at least 8 hours, up to 120 mL of water and the same 30-minute wait.
• Mounjaro: 2.5 mg is raised to 5 mg after 4 weeks, and 5, 10 and 15 mg are named as maintenance doses.
• Foundayo: not yet authorised in the EU; the EMA's committee gave a positive opinion in October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest dose of Wegovy?

7.2 mg once weekly (Wegovy® HD), for weight reduction in adults, after at least 4 weeks on 2.4 mg when more weight reduction is clinically indicated. The usual maintenance dose is 2.4 mg. The Wegovy dose chart has the full schedule.

How long does it take to reach the Zepbound maintenance dose?

5 mg, the first maintenance dose for weight reduction, starts at week 5. On the label's 2.5 mg steps, 10 mg can start at week 13 at the earliest and 15 mg at week 21. The Zepbound dose chart shows both indications.

Why does the Wegovy pill count in days?

Its label titrates "every 30 days", not every 4 weeks, so the chart counts days for it. The same is true of Foundayo.

How long does each dose stay in the body?

The GLP-1 half-life calculator estimates how much semaglutide, tirzepatide or liraglutide your doses may leave, from each label's half-life.

Sources

• Ozempic (semaglutide) prescribing information, DailyMed: starting dose, steps, maintenance doses and maximum (§ 2.2).
• Wegovy (semaglutide) injection and tablets prescribing information, DailyMed: injection steps (§ 2.2, Table 1), 7.2 mg, tolerability delay, tablet steps (§ 2.3, Table 2) and tablet intake (§ 2.1).
• Mounjaro (tirzepatide) prescribing information, DailyMed: starting dose, 2.5 mg steps and maximum (§ 2.1, revised 08/2026).
• Zepbound (tirzepatide) prescribing information, DailyMed: starting dose, steps, maintenance doses by indication and maximum (§ 2.1, § 2.2).
• Foundayo (orforglipron) prescribing information, DailyMed: steps, maximum and intake (§ 2.1, § 2.2).
• Saxenda (liraglutide) prescribing information, DailyMed: weekly steps and the 3 mg dose (§ 2.2, Table 1).
• Wegovy EU product information, EMA: escalation over 16 weeks, 7.2 mg and tablets (§ 4.2).
• Mounjaro EU product information, EMA: steps and maintenance doses (§ 4.2).
• CHMP meeting highlights, October 2026, EMA: positive opinion on Foundayo.

Published by Petros IT Solutions SRL. Read our editorial policy, and send corrections to office@doseandlose.com.