What is the standard semaglutide starting dose?

0.25 mg weekly for injection (Ozempic, Wegovy, compounded), 3 mg daily for Rybelsus, or 1.5 mg daily for Wegovy tablets. All start below the therapeutic window for tolerance.

How long does it take to reach the maximum semaglutide dose?

17 weeks for Wegovy injection to 2.4 mg, around 9 weeks for Ozempic to 1 mg or 13 weeks to 2 mg, 90 days for Wegovy tablets to 25 mg, and 60 days for Rybelsus to 14 mg.

Is the maximum semaglutide dose 2 mg or 2.4 mg?

It depends on the product. Ozempic caps at 2 mg weekly. Wegovy injection caps at 2.4 mg, with an optional 7.2 mg escalation approved in 2025. Rybelsus caps at 14 mg daily, Wegovy tablets at 25 mg daily.

Can I use semaglutide every other week instead of weekly?

Every-other-week dosing is not approved by the FDA and not studied in the registration trials. The 7-day half-life means weekly dosing maintains stable blood levels; biweekly produces a sawtooth that has not been validated.

What dose of semaglutide is best for weight loss in non-diabetics?

2.4 mg weekly is the FDA-approved dose for chronic weight management with Wegovy injection. The STEP 1 trial showed 14.9 percent mean weight loss at this dose at week 68 in adults without diabetes.

Should I increase my semaglutide dose if weight loss has plateaued?

Discuss with your prescriber. The standard rule is four weeks at the current dose with tolerable side effects before stepping up. If you are still losing 1 to 2 pounds weekly, stay put. If progress has stalled for two consecutive weeks, escalation is reasonable.

What is the maintenance dose of Ozempic after weight loss?

Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes, not weight loss, so there is no FDA maintenance dose for weight maintenance specifically. Most off-label weight loss prescribing maintains at 1 mg or 2 mg weekly. For diabetes maintenance, 0.5 to 2 mg weekly is the range.

When can I switch between Ozempic, Wegovy, and compounded semaglutide?

At the same milligram dose, anytime. The molecule is identical across all three. Start the new product the same week as the old one would have been due. No re-titration is needed.

How much is 1 unit of compounded semaglutide?

It depends on the vial. At 2.5 mg/mL, 1 unit equals 0.025 mg. At 5 mg/mL, 1 unit equals 0.05 mg. At 10 mg/mL, 1 unit equals 0.10 mg. A U-100 syringe means 100 units equals 1 mL regardless of drug concentration.

Can I split a semaglutide dose across two injections?

For compounded vials when a dose exceeds the 1 mL syringe capacity (rare except at 1 mg/mL concentrations), yes. For brand pens, no. Each pen delivers a fixed dose; you cannot split. Either way, talk to your prescriber before splitting.

What is the washout period for semaglutide?

About 5 to 7 weeks for the drug to clear to under 5 percent of steady-state levels, based on the 7-day half-life. Most clinicians use this interval when transitioning to a non-GLP-1 therapy or when discontinuing entirely.

Is microdosing semaglutide effective?

The FDA label states the 0.25 mg starting dose is not therapeutic for glycemic control or weight loss. Clinical trial data does not support meaningful outcomes below 0.5 mg weekly. Microdosing is off-label and unsupported by trial endpoints.

How does Rybelsus dosing compare to Ozempic dosing?

Rybelsus uses much higher milligram numbers because oral semaglutide has about 1 percent bioavailability. Ozempic 0.5 mg weekly roughly corresponds to Rybelsus 7 mg daily; Ozempic 1 mg weekly corresponds to Rybelsus 14 mg daily.

Semaglutide Dosage Chart

Summary: Semaglutide is dosed differently for every product. Ozempic tops out at 2 mg weekly, Wegovy at 2.4 mg, Rybelsus at 14 mg daily, and Wegovy tablets at 25 mg daily, each with its own titration schedule.

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.

The short answer: there is no single semaglutide dosing schedule. Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, oral Wegovy tablets, and compounded semaglutide all use distinct titrations with different maximum doses. Every one of them starts low. Every one of them steps up roughly every four weeks. The endpoint is what diverges.

Below is every FDA-approved schedule, the compounded protocol, and the mL and unit conversions for the vials you actually inject from.

The fast reference

Product	Route	Start	Maintenance	Max
Ozempic	Subcutaneous weekly	0.25 mg x 4 wk	0.5 to 2 mg	2 mg
Wegovy injection	Subcutaneous weekly	0.25 mg x 4 wk	2.4 mg	2.4 mg (7.2 mg if escalated)
Rybelsus	Oral daily	3 mg x 30 d	7 to 14 mg	14 mg
Wegovy tablets	Oral daily	1.5 mg x 30 d	25 mg	25 mg
Compounded vial	Subcutaneous weekly	0.25 mg	typically 1.7 to 2.4 mg	provider set

The product label is the only authoritative source for your dose. Use this article to understand the structure; use your prescription and the printed pharmacy label for the actual numbers you draw.

Ozempic dosage chart (type 2 diabetes)

Ozempic is the diabetes brand. The titration is built around glycemic control, which is why the ceiling is 2 mg and not 2.4 mg ^[1].

Weeks	Dose	Pen color	Notes
1 to 4	0.25 mg weekly	red	initiation, not therapeutic
5 to 8	0.5 mg weekly	red or blue	first effective dose
9 onward	0.5 mg weekly	blue	maintenance if A1C controlled
After 4 wk on 0.5	1 mg weekly	yellow	step up if A1C high
After 4 wk on 1 mg	2 mg weekly	yellow	FDA max, approved 2022

The 0.25 mg starting dose exists for tolerance only. It is not a therapeutic dose for glycemic control or weight loss. The Drugs.com label explicitly states this ^[4]. People who stay at 0.25 mg "to be safe" are taking what amounts to placebo for HbA1c.

Maintenance for most patients lands at 0.5 mg or 1 mg. The 2 mg dose was added in 2022 after the SUSTAIN FORTE trial showed extra A1C reduction in patients who needed more glycemic control. Above 2 mg, Ozempic has no approved indication.

Wegovy injection dosage chart (weight management)

Wegovy is the same molecule as Ozempic, manufactured by the same company, but titrated higher because the trials that supported its weight-loss approval used 2.4 mg as the target ^[2]^[5].

Weeks	Dose	Notes
1 to 4	0.25 mg weekly	tolerance
5 to 8	0.5 mg weekly	escalation
9 to 12	1 mg weekly	escalation
13 to 16	1.7 mg weekly	escalation
17 onward	2.4 mg weekly	maintenance
After 4 wk on 2.4	7.2 mg weekly	optional, for additional weight reduction

The full ramp to 2.4 mg takes 17 weeks. That is the standard titration that the STEP 1 trial used in 1,961 adults with obesity, producing a mean weight loss of 14.9 percent at 68 weeks ^[5]. If side effects derail the schedule, dropping back one step and holding for an extra four weeks is standard practice.

The 7.2 mg dose was added to the Wegovy label in 2025 for patients who tolerate 2.4 mg for at least four weeks and still need additional weight reduction. It is the new ceiling, not a typical maintenance target.

STEP 1 protocol details

STEP 1 escalated semaglutide from 0.25 mg to 2.4 mg over 16 weeks, then held 2.4 mg through week 68 ^[5]. Participants were adults with BMI 30 or higher (or 27 with a comorbidity) who did not have diabetes. The placebo-corrected weight loss at week 68 was 12.4 percent. The FDA used this protocol verbatim when it approved Wegovy in June 2021.

Rybelsus dosage chart (oral semaglutide for diabetes)

Rybelsus is the daily tablet for type 2 diabetes. The bioavailability of oral semaglutide is about 1 percent, which is why the milligram numbers are 30 to 50 times higher than the injection ^[3].

Days	Dose	Notes
1 to 30	3 mg daily	initiation, not effective for glycemic control
31 to 60	7 mg daily	first therapeutic dose
61 onward	7 or 14 mg daily	maintenance
After 30 d on 7 mg	14 mg daily	step up if A1C high

Take Rybelsus first thing in the morning on an empty stomach with no more than 4 ounces of water. Wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking anything else, or taking other oral medications. Skipping the fasting window cuts absorption sharply. The 3 mg starting dose is for adaptation only; do not stay there expecting blood-sugar benefit ^[4].

Wegovy oral tablets dosage chart (weight management)

In late 2025 the FDA approved oral Wegovy tablets for chronic weight management, making semaglutide the first GLP-1 with both injectable and oral formulations approved for obesity. The titration uses higher milligram numbers than the injection because of the same oral bioavailability ceiling ^[4].

Days	Dose	Notes
1 to 30	1.5 mg daily	initiation
31 to 60	4 mg daily	escalation
61 to 90	9 mg daily	escalation
91 onward	25 mg daily	maintenance

The 25 mg oral dose is the equivalent of the 2.4 mg injection in trial endpoints. Switching between Wegovy injection and Wegovy tablets is allowed: from injection 2.4 mg to tablets 25 mg the day after the last injection, or from tablets to injection 2.4 mg (or 1.7 mg if 25 mg was not tolerated) the day after the last tablet ^[4].

Same fasting rules as Rybelsus: empty stomach, water only, 30-minute wait. Wegovy and Rybelsus tablets are not interchangeable mg for mg.

Compounded semaglutide dosage chart

Compounded semaglutide ships as a multi-dose vial that you draw with an insulin syringe. The titration most prescribers use mirrors the Wegovy schedule, but the math depends on the vial concentration printed on the label.

Weeks	Weekly dose	Drawn at 2.5 mg/mL	Drawn at 5 mg/mL
1 to 4	0.25 mg	0.10 mL (10 units)	0.05 mL (5 units)
5 to 8	0.5 mg	0.20 mL (20 units)	0.10 mL (10 units)
9 to 12	1 mg	0.40 mL (40 units)	0.20 mL (20 units)
13 to 16	1.7 mg	0.68 mL (68 units)	0.34 mL (34 units)
17 onward	2.4 mg	0.96 mL (96 units)	0.48 mL (48 units)

The formula is simple. Two lines do the entire job.

mL = milligrams desired / concentration in mg/mL
units (U-100) = mL x 100

Worked example. Your vial is labeled 5 mg/mL and your prescribed dose is 1.7 mg.

mL = 1.7 / 5 = 0.34 mL
units = 0.34 x 100 = 34 units

You draw to the 34 mark on a U-100 insulin syringe. Done.

Conversions for every common concentration

Dose	1 mg/mL	2 mg/mL	2.5 mg/mL	5 mg/mL	10 mg/mL
0.25 mg	0.25 mL / 25 u	0.125 mL / 12 to 13 u	0.10 mL / 10 u	0.05 mL / 5 u	0.025 mL / 2 to 3 u
0.5 mg	0.50 mL / 50 u	0.25 mL / 25 u	0.20 mL / 20 u	0.10 mL / 10 u	0.05 mL / 5 u
1 mg	1.00 mL / 100 u	0.50 mL / 50 u	0.40 mL / 40 u	0.20 mL / 20 u	0.10 mL / 10 u
1.7 mg	n/a	0.85 mL / 85 u	0.68 mL / 68 u	0.34 mL / 34 u	0.17 mL / 17 u
2.4 mg	n/a	n/a	0.96 mL / 96 u	0.48 mL / 48 u	0.24 mL / 24 u

A standard U-100 insulin syringe holds 1 mL maximum, which caps single-injection volumes. At 1 mg/mL anything above 1 mg requires more than one injection. This is why compounding pharmacies prefer 2.5 mg/mL or 5 mg/mL for the higher titration steps.

Starting dose details

Every semaglutide product starts below the therapeutic window. The starting dose is a tolerance-building step, not a treatment dose ^[1]^[2]^[3].

Ozempic, Wegovy injection, and compounded semaglutide all start at 0.25 mg weekly for 4 weeks.
Rybelsus starts at 3 mg daily for 30 days.
Wegovy tablets start at 1.5 mg daily for 30 days.

The starting dose exists because semaglutide slows gastric emptying, and people who jump straight to a therapeutic dose vomit. The four-week run-in lets gut motility adapt. Skipping it does not accelerate weight loss; it accelerates dropouts.

When to step up your semaglutide dose

The standard signal to escalate is four weeks at the current dose with tolerable side effects. Hold longer if:

Nausea or vomiting is moderate or worse.
Weight loss is meeting your trajectory (around 1 to 2 pounds per week, or whatever your provider set).
Your A1C is at target on the diabetes side.
You ran out of medication for more than two weeks and need to re-acclimate.

Escalate if:

Side effects are mild or gone.
Weight loss has plateaued for two consecutive weeks at sub-target rates.
A1C remains above target.
Appetite suppression is fading.

There is nothing magical about reaching 2.4 mg. The STEP 1 data showed a dose-response curve, but plenty of patients hit goal weight at 1 mg or 1.7 mg and stay there ^[5]. The right dose is the lowest one that produces the result you need.

Maintenance dosing after goal weight

Once weight loss goals are met, two options exist:

Continue the dose that got you there. The Wegovy label specifies 2.4 mg as the maintenance dose ^[2]. Stopping or dropping below the effective dose typically results in weight regain, as the STEP 4 withdrawal data demonstrated.
Step down with provider supervision. Some clinicians taper to 1 mg or 1.7 mg for long-term maintenance and accept some regain. The data here is thinner than the data for staying on dose.

Maintenance dosing every other week is not approved and not supported by trial data. Semaglutide's half-life of about 7 days means weekly injection maintains roughly stable blood levels; doubling the interval to two weeks produces a sawtooth pattern that has not been studied for sustained weight management.

Microdosing semaglutide

Microdosing means staying at sub-therapeutic doses (typically 0.10 to 0.25 mg weekly) indefinitely instead of titrating up. It is not an FDA-approved approach. The 0.25 mg starting dose is explicitly described as not therapeutic for glycemic control or weight management on the label ^[1].

People who microdose report modest appetite reduction with fewer GI side effects. The trial data does not support meaningful weight loss or A1C reduction below 0.5 mg. If you choose to microdose, do it with informed consent from your provider and recognize the outcomes data is absent.

Higher doses than 2.4 mg

Three options exist for going above 2.4 mg weekly:

Wegovy 7.2 mg weekly, FDA approved in 2025 as an escalation for patients who tolerate 2.4 mg for four weeks and need additional weight reduction ^[2].
Compounded semaglutide at 2.5 mg or 3 mg weekly. Some prescribers go above the Wegovy label cap with compounded product. Evidence above 2.4 mg from controlled trials is limited until you get to the 7.2 mg approval.
Switching to tirzepatide (Mounjaro or Zepbound), which produces larger average weight loss at maximum dose than semaglutide does at 2.4 mg in the SURPASS and SURMOUNT trial families.

Going above 2.4 mg of semaglutide is not the only path. For many people, switching to a different GLP-1 or adding a non-GLP-1 weight loss medication produces better results than chasing a higher semaglutide dose.

Washout and switching between semaglutides

Switching between Ozempic, Wegovy injection, and compounded semaglutide at the same milligram dose requires no washout. The molecule is identical ^[4]. A patient on Ozempic 1 mg weekly can move to Wegovy 1 mg or compounded 1 mg the next week with no re-titration.

Switching between injection and oral semaglutide is different. Wegovy injection 2.4 mg corresponds roughly to Wegovy tablets 25 mg, and Ozempic injection 0.5 mg corresponds to Rybelsus 7 or 14 mg ^[4]. The label specifies the exact transitions. Always start the new product the day after the last dose of the old one for daily-to-weekly transitions, or one week after for weekly-to-daily.

A washout period of 5 to 7 weeks is the conservative interval if you are stopping semaglutide entirely (no replacement). That covers about five half-lives, after which less than 5 percent of the drug remains in circulation.

Dosing errors that send people to urgent care

Three patterns account for most semaglutide dosing emergencies.

Drawing units for a different vial concentration. Compounded patients who refill at a new concentration and draw the same unit count as last week. The fix: read the concentration on every new vial.
Doubling up after a missed dose. If you miss a weekly Wegovy or Ozempic dose by less than 5 days, take it. If more than 5 days have passed, skip and resume on the regular day ^[1]^[2]. Never take two doses at once.
Escalating too fast. Patients who skip the four-week minimum at each step and jump from 0.25 to 1 mg in two weeks usually end up vomiting for a week and quitting.

Cost notes by dose

Brand pricing is the same per pen regardless of dose, so the cost is per month not per milligram. Wegovy and Ozempic cash prices sit around $1,000 to $1,400 per month in the US without insurance. Rybelsus is similar.

Compounded semaglutide ranges from about $150 to $400 per month, varying by pharmacy and vial concentration. The 1.7 mg dose specifically is not priced any differently from other steps in the titration when buying compounded, because the vial is multi-dose and you draw less for lower steps.

Frequently asked questions about semaglutide dosing

What is the standard semaglutide starting dose?: 0.25 mg weekly for injection (Ozempic, Wegovy, compounded), 3 mg daily for Rybelsus, or 1.5 mg daily for Wegovy tablets. All start below the therapeutic window for tolerance.
How long does it take to reach the maximum semaglutide dose?: 17 weeks for Wegovy injection to 2.4 mg, around 9 weeks for Ozempic to 1 mg or 13 weeks to 2 mg, 90 days for Wegovy tablets to 25 mg, and 60 days for Rybelsus to 14 mg.
Is the maximum semaglutide dose 2 mg or 2.4 mg?: It depends on the product. Ozempic caps at 2 mg weekly. Wegovy injection caps at 2.4 mg, with an optional 7.2 mg escalation approved in 2025. Rybelsus caps at 14 mg daily, Wegovy tablets at 25 mg daily.
Can I use semaglutide every other week instead of weekly?: Every-other-week dosing is not approved by the FDA and not studied in the registration trials. The 7-day half-life means weekly dosing maintains stable blood levels; biweekly produces a sawtooth that has not been validated.
What dose of semaglutide is best for weight loss in non-diabetics?: 2.4 mg weekly is the FDA-approved dose for chronic weight management with Wegovy injection. The STEP 1 trial showed 14.9 percent mean weight loss at this dose at week 68 in adults without diabetes.
Should I increase my semaglutide dose if weight loss has plateaued?: Discuss with your prescriber. The standard rule is four weeks at the current dose with tolerable side effects before stepping up. If you are still losing 1 to 2 pounds weekly, stay put. If progress has stalled for two consecutive weeks, escalation is reasonable.
What is the maintenance dose of Ozempic after weight loss?: Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes, not weight loss, so there is no FDA maintenance dose for weight maintenance specifically. Most off-label weight loss prescribing maintains at 1 mg or 2 mg weekly. For diabetes maintenance, 0.5 to 2 mg weekly is the range.
When can I switch between Ozempic, Wegovy, and compounded semaglutide?: At the same milligram dose, anytime. The molecule is identical across all three. Start the new product the same week as the old one would have been due. No re-titration is needed.
How much is 1 unit of compounded semaglutide?: It depends on the vial. At 2.5 mg/mL, 1 unit equals 0.025 mg. At 5 mg/mL, 1 unit equals 0.05 mg. At 10 mg/mL, 1 unit equals 0.10 mg. A U-100 syringe means 100 units equals 1 mL regardless of drug concentration.
Can I split a semaglutide dose across two injections?: For compounded vials when a dose exceeds the 1 mL syringe capacity (rare except at 1 mg/mL concentrations), yes. For brand pens, no. Each pen delivers a fixed dose; you cannot split. Either way, talk to your prescriber before splitting.
What is the washout period for semaglutide?: About 5 to 7 weeks for the drug to clear to under 5 percent of steady-state levels, based on the 7-day half-life. Most clinicians use this interval when transitioning to a non-GLP-1 therapy or when discontinuing entirely.
Is microdosing semaglutide effective?: The FDA label states the 0.25 mg starting dose is not therapeutic for glycemic control or weight loss. Clinical trial data does not support meaningful outcomes below 0.5 mg weekly. Microdosing is off-label and unsupported by trial endpoints.
How does Rybelsus dosing compare to Ozempic dosing?: Rybelsus uses much higher milligram numbers because oral semaglutide has about 1 percent bioavailability. Ozempic 0.5 mg weekly roughly corresponds to Rybelsus 7 mg daily; Ozempic 1 mg weekly corresponds to Rybelsus 14 mg daily.

Print and save

Save the comparison tables on this page or screenshot the one that matches your product. The most common dosing error in any titration is forgetting which week you are on. A printed chart on the fridge, with the date of each step written in, prevents most of those errors before they happen.