What is the starting dose of every FDA-approved GLP-1?

Ozempic 0.25 mg weekly, Wegovy 0.25 mg weekly, Rybelsus 3 mg daily, Mounjaro 2.5 mg weekly, Zepbound 2.5 mg weekly, Saxenda 0.6 mg daily, Trulicity 0.75 mg weekly, Byetta 5 mcg twice daily, Bydureon 2 mg weekly with no titration.

How long is each step of the titration?

Four weeks for every weekly injection (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound, Trulicity). Thirty days for Rybelsus. One week for Saxenda. One month for Byetta before the single step-up.

What is the maximum dose for each GLP-1?

Ozempic 2 mg weekly, Wegovy 2.4 mg weekly, Rybelsus 14 mg daily, Mounjaro and Zepbound 15 mg weekly, Saxenda 3 mg daily, Trulicity 4.5 mg weekly, Byetta 10 mcg twice daily, Bydureon 2 mg weekly.

Does faster titration mean faster weight loss?

No. The pivotal weight loss trials used the labeled titration schedules. Compressing the ladder increases nausea and dropout without increasing the final weight loss outcome.

What if my GLP-1 dose is too high?

Talk to your prescriber about a dose reduction. Wegovy explicitly allows maintenance at 1.7 mg instead of 2.4 mg if the higher dose is poorly tolerated. Zepbound allows stepping back to 10 mg or 7.5 mg. Most labels permit dropping one step.

Can I stay on a lower GLP-1 dose long-term?

Yes for most drugs. Trulicity 0.75 mg, Ozempic 0.5 mg, and Zepbound 5 mg are all valid maintenance doses if blood sugar or weight goals are met. Wegovy and Saxenda are the exceptions where the label points patients toward the full target dose.

How do I switch from one GLP-1 to another?

Switching is not a simple equivalent dose conversion because semaglutide, tirzepatide, dulaglutide, and liraglutide have different potencies. Most prescribers restart titration at the new drug's starting dose to manage tolerability, then escalate normally.

What is the GLP-1 dosage for weight loss specifically?

Wegovy at 2.4 mg weekly and Zepbound at 5 to 15 mg weekly are the two FDA-approved options for chronic weight management. Saxenda at 3 mg daily is also approved. Ozempic and Mounjaro are not FDA approved for weight loss but contain the same active ingredients.

How is GLP-1 dosing determined for an individual?

The label sets the framework. Your prescriber adjusts based on your tolerance, your blood sugar or weight response, your other medications, and your kidney function. AI-powered GLP-1 dosing platforms exist but they cannot replace clinical judgment for a class of drugs that carries boxed warnings.

Are GLP-1 conversion charts between drugs reliable?

Approximate at best. The wafp.org GLP1-RA dose comparison chart used in primary care suggests rough equivalents (Ozempic 1 mg roughly equals Trulicity 1.5 mg roughly equals Mounjaro 5 mg), but no head-to-head trial validates exact conversions. Switching always restarts titration.

GLP-1 Dosing Chart

Summary: Every FDA-approved GLP-1 starts low and steps up every four weeks. This chart lists the start, titration ladder, maximum dose, route, and schedule for all eight drugs in the class.

This content is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before starting, changing, or stopping any medication.

Every FDA-approved GLP-1 follows the same pattern: start at a low dose, step up every four weeks, settle at a maintenance dose your body tolerates. The ladders differ by drug. The schedules differ by drug. The max doses differ a lot. The chart below covers every product on the legal US market, with the starting dose, the full titration ladder, the maximum dose, the route, and the schedule, each cited to the active FDA label.

The full GLP-1 dosing chart

Drug	Active ingredient	Route	Schedule	Starting dose	Titration	Max dose
Ozempic	Semaglutide	Subcutaneous injection	Weekly	0.25 mg	0.5 mg at week 5, then 1 mg at week 9, then 2 mg at week 13 if needed	2 mg weekly
Wegovy	Semaglutide	Subcutaneous injection	Weekly	0.25 mg	0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg, 2.4 mg in 4-week steps	2.4 mg weekly
Rybelsus	Semaglutide	Oral tablet	Daily	3 mg	7 mg after 30 days, 14 mg after another 30 days if needed	14 mg daily
Mounjaro	Tirzepatide	Subcutaneous injection	Weekly	2.5 mg	5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, 15 mg in 4-week steps	15 mg weekly
Zepbound	Tirzepatide	Subcutaneous injection	Weekly	2.5 mg	5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, 15 mg in 4-week steps	15 mg weekly
Saxenda	Liraglutide	Subcutaneous injection	Daily	0.6 mg	1.2 mg, 1.8 mg, 2.4 mg, 3 mg in weekly steps	3 mg daily
Trulicity	Dulaglutide	Subcutaneous injection	Weekly	0.75 mg	1.5 mg, 3 mg, 4.5 mg in 4-week steps if needed	4.5 mg weekly
Byetta	Exenatide	Subcutaneous injection	Twice daily	5 mcg	10 mcg after 1 month	10 mcg twice daily
Bydureon BCise	Exenatide ER	Subcutaneous injection	Weekly	2 mg	No titration, fixed dose	2 mg weekly

Ozempic (semaglutide) for type 2 diabetes

Ozempic is once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide approved for type 2 diabetes and for cardiovascular risk reduction in adults with type 2 diabetes and known cardiovascular disease. The FDA label sets a fixed titration ^[1].

Weeks 1 through 4: 0.25 mg once weekly. This is an initiation dose. It is not expected to control blood sugar.
Weeks 5 through 8: 0.5 mg once weekly.
Week 9 onward: 1 mg once weekly. This is the standard maintenance dose for most patients.
Week 13 onward (optional): 2 mg once weekly if additional glycemic control is needed and 1 mg has been tolerated for at least four weeks.

Pen colors map to dose. The 0.25 mg and 0.5 mg pen is red. The 1 mg pen is blue. The 2 mg pen is yellow. Inject into the abdomen, thigh, or upper arm on the same day each week, with or without food.

Wegovy (semaglutide) for chronic weight management

Wegovy is the higher-dose semaglutide product approved for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight plus a weight-related comorbidity, and in adolescents 12 and older with obesity. It is also approved to reduce major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with established cardiovascular disease and overweight or obesity. The label calls out a five-step titration ^[2].

Month 1: 0.25 mg once weekly.
Month 2: 0.5 mg once weekly.
Month 3: 1 mg once weekly.
Month 4: 1.7 mg once weekly.
Month 5 and ongoing: 2.4 mg once weekly. This is the maintenance dose.

If a step is not tolerated, the label allows postponing the next escalation for four more weeks at the current dose. If 2.4 mg itself is poorly tolerated, the label permits maintenance at 1.7 mg.

Rybelsus (semaglutide) oral tablet

Rybelsus is the only oral GLP-1 on the market. It is semaglutide formulated with an absorption enhancer (SNAC) that gets the peptide across the stomach lining. The label dictates a strict daily routine that determines whether the drug works at all ^[3].

Days 1 through 30: 3 mg once daily. This is an initiation dose for tolerability and is not a therapeutic dose for blood sugar.
Days 31 through 60: 7 mg once daily. This is a starting therapeutic dose.
Day 61 onward: 14 mg once daily if additional control is needed.

Take Rybelsus on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning, with no more than 4 ounces of plain water. Wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking anything else, or taking other oral medications. Skipping that window cuts absorption to near zero.

Mounjaro (tirzepatide) for type 2 diabetes

Mounjaro is a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist, dosed once weekly for type 2 diabetes. The titration is the same as Zepbound because the active ingredient and the device are identical, the label and indication differ ^[4].

Weeks 1 through 4: 2.5 mg once weekly. Initiation dose, not for glycemic control.
Weeks 5 through 8: 5 mg once weekly. This is the first maintenance dose.
After at least 4 weeks at 5 mg, increase by 2.5 mg every 4 weeks as needed and tolerated: 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, 15 mg.
Maximum: 15 mg once weekly.

Mounjaro ships in two forms. The single-dose KwikPen is the standard. Single-dose vials exist for some strengths. Either way the volume is fixed at 0.5 mL per dose, with concentration matched to the labeled milligram strength.

Zepbound (tirzepatide) for chronic weight management

Zepbound is the same molecule as Mounjaro, approved for adults with obesity or overweight plus a weight-related comorbidity. It also carries an indication for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity. The titration matches Mounjaro ^[5].

Weeks 1 through 4: 2.5 mg once weekly.
Weeks 5 through 8: 5 mg once weekly.
Step up by 2.5 mg every 4 weeks as needed and tolerated.
Maintenance options per the label: 5 mg, 10 mg, or 15 mg once weekly.
Maximum: 15 mg once weekly.

Lilly ships Zepbound in a single-dose pen and, more recently, in single-dose vials of 2.5 mg and 5 mg through LillyDirect at a lower cash price. The vials require a syringe and a needle, the math is in our 2.5 mg conversion article.

Saxenda (liraglutide) for chronic weight management

Saxenda is liraglutide dosed once daily by subcutaneous injection, approved for chronic weight management in adults and in pediatric patients 12 and older with obesity. The label specifies a weekly five-step titration ^[6].

Week 1: 0.6 mg once daily.
Week 2: 1.2 mg once daily.
Week 3: 1.8 mg once daily.
Week 4: 2.4 mg once daily.
Week 5 onward: 3 mg once daily. This is the maintenance dose.

Saxenda is one drug. The dose escalates weekly because the half-life is short (about 13 hours) and the body tolerates daily ramp-up faster than the weekly ramp-up that semaglutide and tirzepatide require. If a 0.6 mg step-up is not tolerated, the label allows another week at the prior dose. If a patient cannot tolerate 3 mg after the full titration, Saxenda should be discontinued. The label does not permit maintenance below 3 mg for the weight-loss indication.

Victoza, also liraglutide, is the diabetes-indication sibling. It starts at 0.6 mg daily for a week, then 1.2 mg daily, with an option to go to 1.8 mg daily if more glycemic control is needed. Maximum is 1.8 mg daily for type 2 diabetes.

Trulicity (dulaglutide) for type 2 diabetes

Trulicity is once-weekly subcutaneous dulaglutide for type 2 diabetes and for cardiovascular risk reduction in adults with type 2 diabetes who have multiple cardiovascular risk factors or known cardiovascular disease. The titration is gentler than Ozempic because Trulicity starts at a dose that already works ^[7].

0.75 mg once weekly. This is both a starting dose and a maintenance dose. Some patients stay here long-term.
After at least 4 weeks, increase to 1.5 mg once weekly if needed.
After at least 4 more weeks, increase to 3 mg once weekly if needed.
After at least 4 more weeks, increase to 4.5 mg once weekly if needed.
Maximum: 4.5 mg once weekly.

The Trulicity pen is a single-use auto-injector with a hidden needle. You press the device to the skin, push the button, and a spring delivers the dose. No dose dialing, no needle handling.

Byetta and Bydureon (exenatide)

Exenatide was the first GLP-1 approved in the US (2005). Two formulations remain on the market.

Byetta is the original twice-daily injection for type 2 diabetes ^[8].

Months 1: 5 mcg subcutaneously twice daily, within 60 minutes before the morning and evening meals.
After 1 month: increase to 10 mcg twice daily if additional glycemic control is needed.
Maximum: 10 mcg twice daily.

Bydureon BCise is the once-weekly extended-release version. There is no titration. The dose is 2 mg subcutaneously once weekly, period. Patients switching from Byetta to Bydureon BCise should expect blood sugar increases for 2 to 4 weeks until the extended-release exenatide reaches steady state.

Exenatide use has shrunk as semaglutide and tirzepatide have taken over the class, but it remains FDA approved.

How to read a GLP-1 dosing schedule

Three numbers define every GLP-1 prescription: the dose in milligrams, the interval (daily or weekly), and the route (subcutaneous injection or oral tablet). The titration ladder is the sequence of doses you walk up to reach maintenance.

Four-week intervals are the default for weekly injections (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound, Trulicity) because that is roughly the time semaglutide and tirzepatide take to reach steady-state plasma levels. Daily drugs (Saxenda, Rybelsus, Byetta) use shorter intervals because the half-life is shorter and the body adapts faster.

The starting dose is almost never therapeutic. Ozempic 0.25 mg, Wegovy 0.25 mg, and Mounjaro 2.5 mg are explicitly labeled as initiation doses for tolerability. If your blood sugar or weight does not move during week 4, that is the design, not a failure of the drug.

When titration gets paused, slowed, or reversed

The FDA labels are written for the average patient. Real prescriptions often deviate. Common reasons to slow the standard ladder:

Persistent nausea or vomiting after the step-up. The fix is staying at the prior dose for another four weeks before trying the higher dose again. Most labels explicitly allow this.
Dehydration risk. If GI side effects are causing reduced fluid intake, the prescriber may pause titration until oral intake is stable.
Acute pancreatitis suspicion. All GLP-1 labels carry a warning about pancreatitis. Persistent severe abdominal pain that radiates to the back triggers a stop, not just a slow-down.
Pregnancy. Wegovy, Saxenda, and the other GLP-1s should be discontinued in pregnancy. The semaglutide labels specifically recommend stopping at least two months before a planned pregnancy because of the long half-life.

Dose reductions happen too. If 2.4 mg Wegovy is not tolerated, the label allows maintenance at 1.7 mg. If 15 mg Zepbound is not tolerated, the patient can stay at 10 mg or step back to 7.5 mg.

Faster titration does not mean faster weight loss

There is a recurring myth that compressing the titration schedule speeds up weight loss. The published trials do not support this. The SURMOUNT-1 trial for Zepbound, the STEP-1 trial for Wegovy, the SUSTAIN trials for Ozempic, all used the labeled titration schedules and produced the weight loss outcomes the FDA approved.

Skipping ahead increases the rate of GI side effects, which is the main reason people quit GLP-1s in the first two months. Quitting in month two means zero weight loss outcome. The slowest dropout-resistant titration produces the best long-term result. The fastest titration produces the highest dropout.

A practical comparison: starting doses by indication

Indication	First-line options	Starting dose	Time to maintenance
Type 2 diabetes (weekly injection)	Ozempic, Mounjaro, Trulicity	0.25 mg, 2.5 mg, 0.75 mg respectively	4 to 8 weeks for Trulicity, 8 to 24 for Ozempic and Mounjaro
Type 2 diabetes (oral)	Rybelsus	3 mg daily	60 days
Type 2 diabetes (twice daily)	Byetta	5 mcg twice daily	30 days
Chronic weight management (weekly)	Wegovy, Zepbound	0.25 mg, 2.5 mg respectively	16 to 20 weeks
Chronic weight management (daily)	Saxenda	0.6 mg daily	4 to 5 weeks

For type 2 diabetes, Ozempic and Mounjaro are the most prescribed once-weekly options as of 2026. For weight management, Wegovy and Zepbound dominate. Trulicity, Saxenda, Rybelsus, and Byetta remain in the toolkit and have indications where they are the right choice.

Compounded GLP-1 dosing

Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide do not have FDA-approved labels because they are not FDA-approved products. They are made by compounding pharmacies under section 503A or 503B of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, typically during periods when the brand product was on the FDA shortage list. Compounded GLP-1 prescriptions almost always copy the brand titration schedule:

Compounded semaglutide for weight loss: 0.25 mg weekly for 4 weeks, then 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg, 2.4 mg.
Compounded tirzepatide for weight loss: 2.5 mg weekly for 4 weeks, then 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, 15 mg.

The complication is that compounded vials are multi-dose and labeled in milligrams per milliliter. The same 2.5 mg dose can be 0.5 mL on one vial and 0.125 mL on another, depending on the concentration. Read the vial label every dose. The 2.5 mg conversion article on this site has the full table.

FAQ

What is the starting dose of every FDA-approved GLP-1?: Ozempic 0.25 mg weekly, Wegovy 0.25 mg weekly, Rybelsus 3 mg daily, Mounjaro 2.5 mg weekly, Zepbound 2.5 mg weekly, Saxenda 0.6 mg daily, Trulicity 0.75 mg weekly, Byetta 5 mcg twice daily, Bydureon 2 mg weekly with no titration.
How long is each step of the titration?: Four weeks for every weekly injection (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound, Trulicity). Thirty days for Rybelsus. One week for Saxenda. One month for Byetta before the single step-up.
What is the maximum dose for each GLP-1?: Ozempic 2 mg weekly, Wegovy 2.4 mg weekly, Rybelsus 14 mg daily, Mounjaro and Zepbound 15 mg weekly, Saxenda 3 mg daily, Trulicity 4.5 mg weekly, Byetta 10 mcg twice daily, Bydureon 2 mg weekly.
Does faster titration mean faster weight loss?: No. The pivotal weight loss trials used the labeled titration schedules. Compressing the ladder increases nausea and dropout without increasing the final weight loss outcome.
What if my GLP-1 dose is too high?: Talk to your prescriber about a dose reduction. Wegovy explicitly allows maintenance at 1.7 mg instead of 2.4 mg if the higher dose is poorly tolerated. Zepbound allows stepping back to 10 mg or 7.5 mg. Most labels permit dropping one step.
Can I stay on a lower GLP-1 dose long-term?: Yes for most drugs. Trulicity 0.75 mg, Ozempic 0.5 mg, and Zepbound 5 mg are all valid maintenance doses if blood sugar or weight goals are met. Wegovy and Saxenda are the exceptions where the label points patients toward the full target dose.
How do I switch from one GLP-1 to another?: Switching is not a simple equivalent dose conversion because semaglutide, tirzepatide, dulaglutide, and liraglutide have different potencies. Most prescribers restart titration at the new drug's starting dose to manage tolerability, then escalate normally.
What is the GLP-1 dosage for weight loss specifically?: Wegovy at 2.4 mg weekly and Zepbound at 5 to 15 mg weekly are the two FDA-approved options for chronic weight management. Saxenda at 3 mg daily is also approved. Ozempic and Mounjaro are not FDA approved for weight loss but contain the same active ingredients.
How is GLP-1 dosing determined for an individual?: The label sets the framework. Your prescriber adjusts based on your tolerance, your blood sugar or weight response, your other medications, and your kidney function. AI-powered GLP-1 dosing platforms exist but they cannot replace clinical judgment for a class of drugs that carries boxed warnings.
Are GLP-1 conversion charts between drugs reliable?: Approximate at best. The wafp.org GLP1-RA dose comparison chart used in primary care suggests rough equivalents (Ozempic 1 mg roughly equals Trulicity 1.5 mg roughly equals Mounjaro 5 mg), but no head-to-head trial validates exact conversions. Switching always restarts titration.