Tirzepatide Dosage: Zepbound & Mounjaro
Last updated September 30, 2026 · Reviewed by Grey Peptides Editorial Board · ✓ Based on FDA labeling
← Tirzepatide encyclopedia entry · Compare: Semaglutide dosage · Semaglutide vs Tirzepatide
Tirzepatide is an FDA-approved prescription medicine — a dual GIP/GLP-1 agonist sold as Zepbound (obesity) and Mounjaro (type 2 diabetes). Both use the same once-weekly injection and the same stepwise titration.
Dosing starts at 2.5 mg and increases by 2.5 mg every four weeks toward a maximum of 15 mg weekly. The 2.5 mg start is a tolerance dose, not a treatment dose. Zepbound's label sets 5, 10 or 15 mg as maintenance doses (10 or 15 mg for obstructive sleep apnea); Mounjaro's lets the prescriber hold at whichever step controls blood sugar, up to 15 mg in adults and 10 mg in children aged 10 and older.
This summarizes the labeled schedule for education. Your prescriber sets and adjusts the actual dose based on tolerability and response.
Educational information, not medical advice. The doses on this page come from approved labels, published studies and, where no study exists, amounts reported by users. None is a recommendation for you. An unapproved compound has no established safe or effective human dose, and products sold for “research use only” are not made or tested for people. Talk to a doctor before acting on anything on this site, including before you start, stop or change any medicine or dose. Full medical disclaimer.
The titration schedule (Zepbound & Mounjaro)
Approved label. Source: Mounjaro US prescribing information (DailyMed version 40, effective August 27, 2026); Zepbound US prescribing information (DailyMed version 40, effective August 28, 2026)
| Weeks | Dose | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | 2.5 mg | Once weekly (starting/ramp dose) |
| 5–8 | 5 mg | Once weekly |
| 9–12 | 7.5 mg | Once weekly |
| 13–16 | 10 mg | Once weekly |
| 17–20 | 12.5 mg | Once weekly |
| 21+ | 15 mg | Once weekly (maximum) |
→ Plan this schedule in the GLP-1 Titration Planner — pick a target dose and start date for a dated, week-by-week plan and an escalation chart.
The label calls for at least four weeks at each dose before stepping up by 2.5 mg. The approved maintenance doses are 5, 10, and 15 mg — so an effective dose can sit at any of those, not only the maximum. Compared with semaglutide, tirzepatide's schedule has more steps, which gives prescribers finer control to balance results against tolerability.
Why the slow ramp
As with all incretin drugs, the gradual increase exists to limit gastrointestinal side effects — nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation — which peak when the dose rises. Holding at a step longer, or backing down one level, is a normal way to manage tolerability. The 2.5 mg starting dose isn't expected to drive much weight loss; it's there to ease the body in.
Practical dosing notes
- Timing: once weekly, the same day each week, any time of day, with or without food. The day can be changed if doses stay at least 72 hours (3 days) apart.
- Injection sites: abdomen, thigh, or upper arm, rotating sites.
- Missed dose: per the label, take it within 4 days (96 hours) of the missed dose; if more time has passed, skip it and resume the weekly schedule.
- Forms: branded tirzepatide comes in single-dose pens or vials. Compounded vial forms require measurement — see the Reconstitution Calculator, and note the changing rules on compounded GLP-1s in the Regulatory Tracker.
- Stopping: weight regain is common after discontinuation; it's a chronic treatment, not a short course.
Side effects & safety, briefly
Common effects are gastrointestinal and ease after titration; in trials, tirzepatide's nausea rates were somewhat lower than semaglutide's. It carries the class warnings (including a boxed warning regarding thyroid C-cell tumors seen in rodents, plus pancreatitis and gallbladder cautions) that your prescriber screens for. For combinations and interactions, see the GLP-1 drug interactions guide. This is a dosing summary, not a replacement for the full prescribing information or clinical guidance.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to reach 15 mg?
No. 5, 10, and 15 mg are all approved maintenance doses. The right dose is the lowest one that gives a good response with tolerable side effects — a prescriber's decision.
Is Zepbound dosing different from Mounjaro?
The titration and doses are the same; the brands differ by approved indication (Zepbound for obesity, Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes).
How does this compare to semaglutide dosing?
Different molecule and scale — tirzepatide runs 2.5–15 mg with six steps; semaglutide (Wegovy) runs 0.25–2.4 mg with five, and up to 7.2 mg for some adults. See Semaglutide dosage and the full comparison.
Sources
- Zepbound (tirzepatide) injection US prescribing information (DailyMed version 40, effective August 28, 2026), section 2.
- Mounjaro (tirzepatide) injection US prescribing information (DailyMed version 40, effective August 27, 2026), section 2.
- Jastreboff AM, et al. SURMOUNT-1 (tirzepatide for obesity). N Engl J Med. 2022;387:205–216.
Educational only — not medical advice. Tirzepatide is a prescription medicine; dosing must be set and adjusted by a licensed clinician. Refer to the current FDA prescribing information.