GLP-1 Dose Schedules From the FDA Labels: Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound, Pills (Label Info, Not Advice)

Short answer: Every FDA-approved GLP-1 medication starts low and steps up. Ozempic and Wegovy injections start at 0.25 mg once a week for 4 weeks;^[1][2] Mounjaro and Zepbound start at 2.5 mg once a week and rise in 2.5 mg steps, at least 4 weeks apart, to at most 15 mg;^[3][4] the daily pills step up every 30 days.^[2][5][6] The labels say the slow start is there "to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal adverse reactions". Your own dose is your prescriber's decision.

Below are the schedules as each label prints them, as of November 13, 2026: one table per product, then what the labels say about missed doses, switching between forms, digestive symptoms during the step-up, and eating while the dose is still rising. Eating enough on a small appetite is covered in depth in our guide to what to eat when you're eating less.

General information, not medical advice. A label describes the usual schedule for the population studied. Prescribers adjust it for the person in front of them, for example by holding a dose longer. Ask your prescriber or pharmacist about your own schedule.

GLP-1 dosage chart: every FDA label at a glance

Product (ingredient)	How it is taken	Starting dose	Step-up interval, as labelled	Highest labelled dose	Label section and date
Ozempic injection (semaglutide)	Once weekly	0.25 mg for 4 weeks	At least 4 weeks	2 mg	2.2; June 1, 2026[1]
Wegovy injection (semaglutide)	Once weekly	0.25 mg for 4 weeks	Every 4 weeks	2.4 mg usual; 7.2 mg maximum (adults, weight reduction)	2.2; June 18, 2026[2]
Wegovy tablets (semaglutide)	Once daily	1.5 mg for 30 days	Every 30 days	25 mg	2.3; June 18, 2026[2]
Rybelsus tablets (semaglutide)	Once daily	3 mg for 30 days	30 days	14 mg	2.2; January 30, 2026[5]
Ozempic tablets (semaglutide)	Once daily	1.5 mg for 30 days	30 days	9 mg	2.2; January 30, 2026[5]
Mounjaro (tirzepatide)	Once weekly	2.5 mg	At least 4 weeks	15 mg adults; 10 mg ages 10 and up	2.1; August 27, 2026[3]
Zepbound (tirzepatide)	Once weekly	2.5 mg for 4 weeks	At least 4 weeks	15 mg	2.1–2.2; August 28, 2026[4]
Foundayo (orforglipron)	Once daily	0.8 mg	At least 30 days	17.2 mg	2.1; July 29, 2026[6]
Trulicity (dulaglutide)	Once weekly	0.75 mg	At least 4 weeks	4.5 mg adults; 1.5 mg ages 10 and up	2.1–2.2; June 16, 2026[7]
Victoza (liraglutide)	Once daily	0.6 mg	At least 1 week	1.8 mg	2.1; October 14, 2025[8]
Saxenda (liraglutide)	Once daily	0.6 mg for 1 week	Weekly	3 mg	2.2; February 25, 2026[9]

"Label date" is the effective date of the version on DailyMed that we read on November 13, 2026. Labels change: check the date on the copy that comes with your prescription. The same table is available as a data file, linked at the end of this page.

Ozempic dose schedule (semaglutide injection)

Ozempic is approved for adults with type 2 diabetes, including to lower the risk of major cardiovascular events in those with established heart disease, and of kidney decline in those with chronic kidney disease.^[1] Its label, section 2.2:

Step	Dose, once weekly	How long at that dose, as labelled	What the label says
Start	0.25 mg	4 weeks	"Initiate OZEMPIC with a dosage of 0.25 mg injected subcutaneously once weekly for 4 weeks."
2	0.5 mg	At least 4 weeks before any increase	"After 4 weeks on the 0.25 mg dosage, increase the dosage to 0.5 mg once weekly." 0.5 mg is one of the maintenance dosages.
3	1 mg	At least 4 weeks before any increase	Only "if additional glycemic control is needed after at least 4 weeks" on 0.5 mg. For type 2 diabetes with chronic kidney disease, 1 mg is the maintenance dosage.
4	2 mg	Maintenance	Only if more glycemic control is needed after at least 4 weeks on 1 mg. "The maximum recommended dosage is 2 mg once weekly."

The label lists 0.5 mg, 1 mg and 2 mg as maintenance dosages, "based on glycemic control".^[1]

Wegovy dosage schedule (injection, including 7.2 mg)

The Wegovy injection label covers adults and children aged 12 and older. Section 2.2, Table 1, is the same for every approved use:^[2]

Step	Weeks	Dose, once weekly	What the label says
Start	1 through 4	0.25 mg	Starting dosage
2	5 through 8	0.5 mg	Dosage escalation
3	9 through 12	1 mg	Dosage escalation
4	13 through 16	1.7 mg	Dosage escalation
Maintenance	17 and onward	2.4 mg (recommended) or 1.7 mg	Depends on the use; see below
Higher maintenance (adults, weight reduction only)	After at least 4 weeks on 2.4 mg	Up to 7.2 mg	"For patients who tolerate the 2.4 mg dosage for at least 4 weeks and additional weight reduction is clinically indicated, the dosage may be increased to a maximum dosage of 7.2 mg"

What the label says about each use:^[2]

• Weight reduction in adults: 1.7 mg or 2.4 mg (recommended), with 7.2 mg as above.
• Weight reduction in ages 12 and older: 2.4 mg (recommended) or 1.7 mg. The 7.2 mg dose is not labelled for this group.
• Cardiovascular risk reduction in adults: 2.4 mg (recommended) or 1.7 mg.
• Noncirrhotic MASH with moderate to advanced liver fibrosis: 2.4 mg. "If patients do not tolerate the maintenance dosage of 2.4 mg once weekly, the dosage can be decreased to 1.7 mg once weekly. Consider reescalation to 2.4 mg once weekly."

And for the step-up itself: "If patients do not tolerate a dose during dosage escalation, consider delaying dosage escalation for 4 weeks."^[2]

Wegovy pill dosage (semaglutide tablets)

Wegovy tablets are labelled for adults, for weight reduction and cardiovascular risk reduction. Section 2.3, Table 2:^[2]

Step	Days	Dose, once daily	What the label says
Start	1 through 30	1.5 mg	Starting dosage
2	31 through 60	4 mg	Dosage escalation
3	61 through 90	9 mg	Dosage escalation
Maintenance	91 and onward	25 mg	"The recommended maintenance dosage of WEGOVY tablets is 25 mg orally once daily."

The label adds: "If patients do not tolerate a dose during dosage escalation, consider delaying dosage escalation," and if 25 mg is not tolerated, "consider switching to WEGOVY injection 1.7 mg once weekly".^[2] How the tablet is taken matters as much as the dose. The label says one tablet in the morning on an empty stomach, with up to 4 ounces of plain water, swallowed whole, then a wait of at least 30 minutes before food, drinks or other oral medicines, and never more than one tablet a day.^[2] The pill and the shot are compared in Wegovy pill vs injection.

Rybelsus and Ozempic tablets dosage

Rybelsus and Ozempic tablets share one label, for adults with type 2 diabetes. Both are oral semaglutide, but the label's first instruction is that they "are not substitutable on a mg-to-mg basis".^[5] Section 2.2:

Step	Days	Rybelsus, once daily	Ozempic tablets, once daily	What the label says
Start	1 to 30	3 mg	1.5 mg	"this dosage is not effective for glycemic control"
2	31 to 60	7 mg	4 mg	"Increase the dosage"
Maintenance	Day 61 or later	7 mg, or 14 mg	4 mg, or 9 mg	The higher dose only if "additional glycemic control is needed"

The same taking rules apply as for Wegovy tablets: empty stomach in the morning, up to 4 ounces of water, swallowed whole, and at least 30 minutes before food, drink or other oral medicines.^[5]

Mounjaro dosage chart (adults and children 10 and older)

Mounjaro is labelled for type 2 diabetes in adults and in children aged 10 and older, and to lower the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes at high risk.^[3] The label, section 2.1, states the schedule as a rule: start at 2.5 mg once weekly, and "if additional glycemic control is needed, increase the dosage in 2.5 mg increments after at least 4 weeks on the current dose." Written out step by step:

Step	Dose, once weekly	How long at that dose, as labelled	Adults	Ages 10 and older
Start	2.5 mg	At least 4 weeks before any increase	Yes	Yes
2	5 mg	At least 4 weeks before any increase	Yes	Yes
3	7.5 mg	At least 4 weeks before any increase	Yes	Yes
4	10 mg	At least 4 weeks before any increase	Yes	Maximum for this age group
5	12.5 mg	At least 4 weeks before any increase	Yes	Not labelled
6	15 mg	Maximum	Maximum for adults	Not labelled

The step list is the label's 2.5 mg rule written out; each increase is only "if additional glycemic control is needed", so many people stay on a lower dose. The label's maximums: "15 mg injected subcutaneously once weekly in adults. 10 mg injected subcutaneously once weekly in pediatric patients."^[3]

Zepbound dosage (tirzepatide), including for sleep apnea

Zepbound is labelled for adults, to reduce excess body weight and keep it off long term, and to treat moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults with obesity. The step-up is the same for both uses (sections 2.1 and 2.2):^[4]

Step	Dose, once weekly	How long at that dose, as labelled	Weight reduction maintenance dose?	OSA maintenance dose?
Start	2.5 mg	4 weeks	No: "for treatment initiation and is not approved as a maintenance dosage"	No
2	5 mg	At least 4 weeks before any increase	Yes	No
3	7.5 mg	At least 4 weeks before any increase	Not listed	Not listed
4	10 mg	At least 4 weeks before any increase	Yes	Yes
5	12.5 mg	At least 4 weeks before any increase	Not listed	Not listed
6	15 mg	Maximum	Yes	Yes

The label's words: "After 4 weeks, increase the dosage to 5 mg injected subcutaneously once weekly. The dosage may be increased in 2.5 mg increments, after at least 4 weeks on the current dose." It adds: "Consider treatment response and tolerability when selecting the maintenance dosage. If patients do not tolerate a maintenance dosage, consider a lower maintenance dosage." The maximum for all uses is 15 mg once weekly.^[4]

Foundayo dosage (orforglipron tablets)

Foundayo is a daily GLP-1 pill from Lilly, labelled for adults to reduce excess body weight and keep it off long term. Unlike the semaglutide tablets, the label says it can be taken "with or without food". Section 2.1:^[6]

Step	Dose, once daily	How long at that dose, as labelled	What the label says
Start	0.8 mg	At least 30 days	"The starting dosage is 0.8 mg orally once daily."
2	2.5 mg	At least 30 days	"After at least 30 days on the 0.8 mg dosage, increase the dosage to 2.5 mg once daily."
3	5.5 mg	At least 30 days before any increase	"After at least 30 days on the 2.5 mg dosage, increase the dosage to 5.5 mg once daily."
4 to 6	9 mg, 14.5 mg, 17.2 mg	At least 30 days on each before the next	May be increased one level at a time "based on treatment response and tolerability". "The maximum dosage of FOUNDAYO is 17.2 mg once daily."

One limit is set by other medicines: the maximum is 9 mg once daily with a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor, and some interacting drugs are to be avoided altogether (section 2.2). Your pharmacist can check your other prescriptions.^[6]

Trulicity dosage (dulaglutide)

Trulicity is labelled for type 2 diabetes in adults and children aged 10 and older.^[7] Sections 2.1 and 2.2:

Step	Dose, once weekly	How long at that dose, as labelled	What the label says
Start	0.75 mg	4 weeks	Starting dosage for adults and children
2	1.5 mg	At least 4 weeks before any increase	"After 4 weeks, the dosage may be increased to 1.5 mg once weekly for additional glycemic control." Maximum for ages 10 and older.
3	3 mg (adults)	At least 4 weeks before any increase	"If additional glycemic control is needed, increase the dosage in 1.5 mg increments after at least 4 weeks on the current dosage."
4	4.5 mg (adults)	Maximum	"The maximum recommended dosage is 4.5 mg injected subcutaneously once weekly."

Victoza and Saxenda dosage (liraglutide, daily)

Liraglutide is the one daily injection here, so its steps are counted in weeks of daily doses. Victoza is labelled for type 2 diabetes in adults and children aged 10 and older:^[8]

Step	Dose, once daily	How long at that dose, as labelled	What the label says
Start	0.6 mg	1 week (adults)	Intended to reduce gastrointestinal adverse reactions during titration and "is not effective for glycemic control in adults"
2	1.2 mg	At least 1 week before any increase	"After one week at the 0.6 mg once daily dosage, increase the dosage to 1.2 mg"
3	1.8 mg	Maximum	Only "if additional glycemic control is required"; for children, steps of 0.6 mg at least a week apart

Saxenda is labelled for adults and for children aged 12 and older with obesity and a body weight above 60 kg. Section 2.2, Table 1:^[9]

Step	Week	Dose, once daily	What the label says
Start	1	0.6 mg	Dosage escalation
2	2	1.2 mg	Dosage escalation
3	3	1.8 mg	Dosage escalation
4	4	2.4 mg	Dosage escalation; for children, a possible maintenance dose if 3 mg is not tolerated
Maintenance	5 and onward	3 mg	For adults, "lower dosages are for titration only"

The Saxenda label also says: "If patients do not tolerate an increased dose during dosage escalation, consider delaying dosage escalation for approximately one additional week," and for children, "dosage escalation for pediatric patients may take up to 8 weeks." It asks prescribers to check progress at 16 weeks in adults and to stop Saxenda if body weight has not fallen by at least 4% from the start.^[9] Novo Nordisk has announced that Saxenda will be discontinued, with last shipments to wholesalers in late January 2027.^[10]

What if a dose is missed? What each label says

The rules differ by product, and they are worth knowing before it happens. Quoted from each label:

Product	Missed-dose rule, in the label's words	Section
Ozempic injection	"Administer OZEMPIC as soon as possible within 5 days after the missed dose. If more than 5 days have passed, skip the missed dose and administer the next dose on the regularly scheduled day."[1]	2.1
Wegovy injection	If the next scheduled dose is "more than 2 days away, administer WEGOVY injection as soon as possible"; if "less than 2 days away, do not administer the WEGOVY injection dose. Resume dosing on the regularly scheduled day of the week." "If 2 or more consecutive doses of WEGOVY injection are missed, reinitiate dosage escalation at a lower dosage to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal adverse reactions."[2]	2.4
Wegovy tablets	"Skip the missed dose and take the next dose the following day."[2]	2.4
Rybelsus and Ozempic tablets	"If a dose is missed, skip the missed dose and take the next dose the following day."[5]	2.1
Mounjaro and Zepbound	"Administer … as soon as possible within 4 days (96 hours) after the missed dose. If more than 4 days have passed, skip the missed dose and administer the next dose on the regularly scheduled day."[3][4]	2.1 (Mounjaro), 2.3 (Zepbound)
Foundayo	"Take the dose as soon as possible." "Not to double up the next dose." "If 7 or more consecutive doses are missed, reinitiate dosage escalation at a lower dosage."[6]	2.3
Trulicity	"Administer the dose as soon as possible if there are at least 3 days (72 hours) until the next scheduled dose. If less than 3 days remain before the next scheduled dose, skip the missed dose."[7]	2.3
Victoza and Saxenda	Resume with the next scheduled dose; "do not administer an extra dose or increase the dose to make up for the missed dose." If more than 3 days have passed, restart at 0.6 mg.[8][9]	2.2 (Victoza), 2.1 (Saxenda)

Changing the day of the week has its own rule on the weekly labels: at least 2 days (more than 48 hours) between doses for Ozempic, and at least 3 days (72 hours) for Mounjaro, Zepbound and Trulicity.^[1][3][4][7] If several doses have been missed, the labels that address it say to restart lower, so call your prescriber before taking the next one.

Switching between forms: only where a label says how

Two labels give switching instructions, and only between forms of the same medicine. We reproduce them because they are on the label. They are instructions for prescribers, not steps to take on your own.

• Wegovy injection to Wegovy tablets (adults, weight reduction or cardiovascular risk reduction): "One week after discontinuing WEGOVY 2.4 mg injection, initiate 25 mg of WEGOVY tablets orally once daily."^[2]
• Wegovy tablets to Wegovy injection: "The day after discontinuing WEGOVY tablets 25 mg once daily, initiate WEGOVY 2.4 mg subcutaneous injection once weekly. For patients who do not tolerate WEGOVY 25 mg tablets, consider switching to WEGOVY 1.7 mg injection." For people with type 2 diabetes on the tablets who need more effect, the label says to consider 1.7 mg injection and follow the injection's step-up schedule.^[2]
• Ozempic injection to Rybelsus or Ozempic tablets: only from the 0.5 mg injection. "One week after discontinuing 0.5 mg of subcutaneous OZEMPIC injection, start 7 mg or 14 mg of RYBELSUS," or "4 mg or 9 mg of OZEMPIC tablets", once daily.^[5]
• Between Rybelsus and Ozempic tablets: not during days 1 to 30. After that, the label's Table 1 pairs Rybelsus 7 mg with Ozempic tablets 4 mg and Rybelsus 14 mg with Ozempic tablets 9 mg, starting the new tablet the day after the last one, because the two "are not substitutable on a mg-to-mg basis".^[5]

No label gives a switch between different medicines, such as semaglutide to tirzepatide, Ozempic to Wegovy, or a branded product to a compounded one. The labels say the opposite about combining them: Zepbound is not recommended with "other tirzepatide-containing products or with any GLP-1 receptor agonist", and Wegovy is not recommended "with other semaglutide-containing products or with any other GLP-1 receptor agonist".^[4][2] Any change between products is planned by a prescriber.

What the labels say about stomach symptoms during the step-up

The reason for starting low is written into the labels: each schedule is to be followed "to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal adverse reactions".^[2][4][6] The labels also say when those symptoms tend to happen:

• Zepbound: "The majority of nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea events occurred during dose escalation and decreased over time." Digestive adverse reactions were reported by 56% on each dose against 30% on placebo, and 1.9% to 4.3% stopped because of them, against 0.5%.^[4]
• Mounjaro: "The majority of reports of nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea occurred during dose escalation and decreased over time."^[3]
• Ozempic: "The majority of reports of nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea occurred during dose escalation."^[1]
• Foundayo: the incidence of these symptoms "was higher during the FOUNDAYO dosage escalation period and decreased over time."^[6]
• Wegovy injection: in the adult trials, 73% reported digestive adverse reactions against 47% on placebo; nausea 44% against 16%, diarrhea 30% against 16%, vomiting 25% against 6%. Severe ones were reported by 4.1% against 0.9%, and by 2% on the tablets against 0% on placebo.^[2]

The labels pair this with a fluid warning. Losing fluid through vomiting or diarrhea has been linked with acute kidney injury, and the labels ask prescribers to monitor kidney function in people with these symptoms, "especially during dosage initiation and escalation". The patient counseling sections say to "take precautions to avoid fluid depletion" and to report persistent nausea, vomiting or diarrhea to a healthcare provider.^[4][2] For anyone on Mounjaro or Zepbound who uses birth control pills, the labels add a step-up rule: switch to a non-oral method, or add a barrier method, for 4 weeks after starting and for 4 weeks after each dose increase.^[3][4]

The fuller picture for tirzepatide is in Zepbound side effects, and signs of running low on fluid are in GLP-1 dehydration.

Eating while the dose is going up

The labels themselves give one eating rule, for the semaglutide tablets (empty stomach, 30-minute wait), and say the weekly injections can be taken "with or without meals".^[2][4] The step-up weeks matter for eating too. The 2025 joint advisory on nutrition with GLP-1 therapy notes that food aversions, sometimes severe, happen "typically at the initiation of treatment and with dose increases", and that reduced hunger can mean going several hours without eating.^[11] Its suggestions for those weeks:^[11]

• Small, frequent meals when hunger and interest in food are low.
• Lighter options such as smoothies and protein drinks, which are often more appealing than heavier foods.
• Protein as a priority, to help preserve muscle and bone.
• A reminder to eat, such as an alarm, if changing the food is not enough.

Practical versions: eating on queasy days for the days after a dose increase, and what to eat on a GLP-1 when you're not hungry for the days appetite barely shows up. The hydration calculator gives a daily fluid figure.

Why retatrutide is not on this page

Retatrutide, sometimes called "GLP-3", is not FDA-approved, so it has no label and no labelled schedule. The doses used in its trials are research protocols, not instructions, and the FDA warns against retatrutide sold online "for research purposes".^[12] What is known about it is in GLP-3 (retatrutide). For the same reason this page has no charts for compounded products, which are not FDA-approved.^[13]

The data: download and reuse

Every row in the tables above, with the product, step, dose, duration as labelled, label section, label date and DailyMed link, is in one CSV file, free to reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license with credit to Zornava. Download the CSV We re-check the labels every month; the "Last reviewed" date at the top shows the latest check. The background on all of these medications is in our guide to GLP-1 medications.

For transparency about why this page exists on our site: we make one product, Zornava Replenish, a lemon-lime daily hydration and nutrient powder for lighter appetite days, including for people on GLP-1 medications. It is a dietary supplement, not a medication, and it does not replace or imitate any medicine on this page. It is not on sale yet; early access opens February 9, 2027, and the early-access list is open now.