Tirzepatide Dosage Chart: The Full Weekly Schedule From 2.5 mg to 15 mg

What is the standard tirzepatide dosage?

The standard tirzepatide dosage starts at 2.5 mg once weekly for four weeks, then moves to 5 mg. After that, the tirzepatide dosage can rise in 2.5 mg steps no sooner than every four weeks, up to a maximum of 15 mg weekly. The recognized maintenance doses are 5 mg, 10 mg, and 15 mg.

Tirzepatide dosing at a glance

• Every tirzepatide dose begins at 2.5 mg once weekly. That first month is for tolerance, not weight loss.
• The FDA prescribing information allows an increase of 2.5 mg at a time, and no sooner than every four weeks.
• There are three maintenance doses: 5 mg, 10 mg, and 15 mg. The 2.5 mg strength is not approved as a maintenance dose.
• The maximum tirzepatide dosage is 15 mg once weekly. Higher is not better and is not on label.
• Going up the ladder faster does not speed up results. It reliably increases nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
• A miss of four days or less can be taken late. Beyond four days, the dose is skipped.
• Compounded tirzepatide is the same molecule, but the vial is measured in mg/mL, so units and milligrams are not interchangeable.

The full tirzepatide dosage chart, 2.5 mg to 15 mg

Tirzepatide is supplied in six strengths: 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, and 15 mg, each in 0.5 mL, according to the FDA prescribing information for Zepbound. Every dose in the chart below is once weekly and injected under the skin.

The week ranges assume an on-schedule climb with no pauses. Your prescriber may hold you at a step longer. That is normal and it is not a setback.

Source: FDA prescribing information for Zepbound (tirzepatide), section 2.2, Recommended Dosage. Week ranges assume no titration pauses.

That is the whole tirzepatide dose chart. One rule governs all of it: increase by 2.5 mg, no sooner than every four weeks, to a ceiling of 15 mg once weekly.

How does the tirzepatide dose chart work week by week?

The chart is a ladder, not a schedule you are obligated to finish. Here is how prescribers actually move through it.

1. Start at 2.5 mg once weekly and hold for four full weeks. The FDA label is explicit that this strength is for initiation and is not intended for chronic weight management.
2. At week five, increase to 5 mg. This is the first dose the label recognizes as a maintenance dose.
3. Reassess after four weeks at 5 mg. If weight loss and tolerability are both acceptable, you can stay here indefinitely.
4. If a higher dose is warranted, increase by 2.5 mg. Never by 5 mg, and never before four weeks have passed on the current step.
5. Repeat that decision at every step until you reach a maintenance tirzepatide dosage that works, or until you reach the 15 mg maximum.
6. If a step is not tolerated, the label directs prescribers to consider a lower maintenance dose. Stepping down is a clinical option, not a failure.

Why does the tirzepatide dosage escalate so slowly?

Because the alternative is vomiting. Tirzepatide slows gastric emptying, and the FDA prescribing information states that this delay is largest after the first dose and diminishes over time. Every dose increase re-opens that window.

The numbers explain the caution. In the Zepbound clinical trials, gastrointestinal adverse reactions occurred in 56 percent of patients at 5 mg, 10 mg, and 15 mg, compared with 30 percent on placebo. Discontinuation because of gastrointestinal reactions climbed with the dose: 1.9 percent at 5 mg, 3.3 percent at 10 mg, and 4.3 percent at 15 mg, versus 0.5 percent on placebo.

The four-week hold at each step is what keeps those numbers from being much worse. Steady-state plasma concentrations are reached after roughly four weeks of once-weekly dosing, per the FDA label, so four weeks is not arbitrary. It is the time your body needs to finish adjusting before the next increase.

What are the maintenance tirzepatide dosages?

There are three: 5 mg, 10 mg, and 15 mg once weekly. That is it. The 7.5 mg and 12.5 mg strengths exist so you can climb gradually, but neither is a labeled maintenance tirzepatide dosage.

The right maintenance tirzepatide dosage is the lowest one that gets you the result you want at a side-effect burden you can live with. The SURMOUNT-1 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, gives you the tradeoff in hard numbers.

Source: SURMOUNT-1 (Study 1), 72 weeks, 2,539 adults with obesity or overweight without type 2 diabetes. Reported in the FDA prescribing information for Zepbound, Table 3.

Read that table twice. Tripling the dose from 5 mg to 15 mg added 5.9 percentage points of average weight loss. It also roughly doubled the risk of stopping treatment because of gastrointestinal reactions. For a lot of people, 5 mg or 10 mg is the correct answer.

What is the maximum Tirzepatide dosage?

Fifteen milligrams once weekly. The FDA prescribing information states the maximum dosage plainly, and there is no approved tirzepatide dosage above it for weight management. A 20 mg dose is not on label, was not studied for chronic weight management in the SURMOUNT program, and should not be assumed safe because a higher number sounds stronger.

If you have reached 15 mg and results have stalled, the answer is not more milligrams. It is a conversation about protein intake, resistance training, sleep, and whether a different agent fits better. Model a realistic curve first with the GLP-1 weight loss projection calculator.

How is Compounded Tirzepatide dosage measured differently?

Compounded tirzepatide is the same molecule as the brand-name product. The difference is packaging. A brand pen delivers a fixed tirzepatide dosage. A compounded vial holds a concentration expressed in milligrams per milliliter, and you draw a volume with a syringe marked in insulin units.

That is where people get hurt. Units are a measure of volume, not of drug. Twenty units drawn from one concentration is not the same dose as twenty units drawn from another. Never convert from memory.

AHC dispenses compounded tirzepatide at AHC CONCENTRATION DATA REQUIRED — mg/mL through a licensed 503A pharmacy. Before you draw anything, read tirzepatide units vs mg and confirm the concentration printed on your own vial label. Your prescribing clinician gives you the dose in milligrams. The syringe conversion follows from your concentration, not from a chart you found online.

The titration ladder itself does not change. A compounded tirzepatide dosage follows the same 2.5 mg start, the same 2.5 mg increments, and the same four-week minimum hold. See the compounded tirzepatide product page for what AHC dispenses and at what flat monthly rate.

What happens if you miss a Tirzepatide dose?

The FDA prescribing information gives a clean rule. If fewer than four days have passed, take the missed dose as soon as you can, then resume your normal weekly day. If more than four days have passed, skip it and take the next dose on schedule.

There is a second rule people forget: no two doses within 72 hours of each other. That is also what makes it safe to move your injection day. As long as the gap between doses is at least three days, you can shift the day of the week.

Two AHC guides go deeper: what to do about a missed tirzepatide dose and how to change your tirzepatide injection day.

How do you know when to increase your Tirzepatide dosage?

There is no lab test for this. Prescribers weigh four things, and you can bring the same four to your appointment.

• Time. Have you completed at least four full weeks at your current dose?
• Tolerability. Are nausea, reflux, and bowel changes settled, or are you still white-knuckling injection day?
• Response. Is weight still moving? A slowdown at week six is normal. A hard stop across four weeks is a signal.
• Nutrition. Are you hitting your protein floor? Escalating the dose while under-eating protein trades fat loss for lean mass loss.

If three of those four look good, a dose increase is a reasonable conversation. If tolerability is the weak one, holding is almost always the better play. The label explicitly allows staying at a lower maintenance dose.

Does a higher tirzepatide dosage always mean more weight loss?

On average, more, but with sharply diminishing returns. Moving from 5 mg to 10 mg bought 4.5 percentage points of mean weight reduction in SURMOUNT-1. Moving from 10 mg to 15 mg bought 1.4. That second jump is a 50 percent increase in drug for less than a third of the benefit of the first one.

Meanwhile the cost side rises steadily. Vomiting was reported by 8 percent of patients at 5 mg and 13 percent at 15 mg. Permanent discontinuation from adverse reactions ran 4.8 percent at 5 mg, 6.3 percent at 10 mg, and 6.7 percent at 15 mg, against 3.4 percent on placebo. The highest tirzepatide dosage is not automatically the best one for you.

Tirzepatide dosage chart compared with Semaglutide dosing

The two ladders look similar and behave differently. Tirzepatide activates both the GIP and GLP-1 receptors. Semaglutide activates GLP-1 only. Doses are not interchangeable, and there is no valid milligram-for-milligram conversion between them.

If you are weighing the two, the compounded semaglutide product page lays out the semaglutide side. Switching between them is a clinical decision, never a self-directed one.

Frequently asked questions about Tirzepatide Dosage

What is the starting tirzepatide dosage?

2.5 mg injected under the skin once weekly, for four weeks. Every patient starts here, regardless of starting weight or prior GLP-1 experience.

How long do you stay on 2.5 mg of tirzepatide?

Four weeks, per the FDA prescribing information. Some prescribers extend it if nausea is significant. Nobody should shorten it.

Can you start tirzepatide at 5 mg?

Not on label. The 2.5 mg initiation month exists specifically to reduce gastrointestinal adverse reactions. Skipping it raises the odds you will quit in month one.

What is the highest tirzepatide dosage?

15 mg once weekly is the maximum tirzepatide dosage approved for chronic weight management. There is no approved 20 mg or 25 mg dose.

Is 7.5 mg a maintenance tirzepatide dosage?

No. 7.5 mg and 12.5 mg are titration steps. The labeled maintenance doses are 5 mg, 10 mg, and 15 mg. In practice, a prescriber may still hold you at 7.5 mg if that is where you are doing well.

Can you increase your tirzepatide dosage after two weeks?

No. The label requires at least four weeks on the current dose before any increase, and increases are limited to 2.5 mg at a time.

How many milligrams is 20 units of tirzepatide?

It depends entirely on the concentration of your vial, which is printed on the label in mg/mL. Units measure volume. Milligrams measure drug. Two vials at different concentrations deliver two different tirzepatide dosages from the same 20 units. Always confirm with your pharmacy label and your prescriber.

What happens if you skip a week of tirzepatide?

If you are more than four days late, the label says to skip that dose entirely and resume your normal schedule. After several missed weeks, your prescriber may restart you at a lower dose to rebuild tolerance.

Is compounded tirzepatide dosage the same as Zepbound dosing?

The molecule and the titration ladder are the same. The measurement is not. Zepbound is a fixed-dose pen. Compounded tirzepatide is a concentration in a vial, drawn by volume.

Can you go back down to a lower tirzepatide dosage?

Yes. The FDA label directs prescribers to consider a lower maintenance dosage if the current one is not tolerated. Dropping from 15 mg to 10 mg is a normal clinical adjustment.

How long does tirzepatide stay in your system?

The elimination half-life is roughly five days, so a single dose takes about four to five weeks to clear almost completely. That is why weekly dosing works and why side effects do not vanish the day after you stop.

Does a higher tirzepatide dosage cause more side effects?

Yes, for some reactions. Vomiting rose from 8 percent at 5 mg to 13 percent at 15 mg in the Zepbound trials. Nausea was roughly flat across doses at 25 to 29 percent. Constipation was actually highest at the lowest dose.

What day of the week should you inject tirzepatide?

Any day, at any time, with or without food. Pick a day you will remember. Many people choose an evening so the first 24 hours after the shot fall during sleep.

Does tirzepatide dosage affect birth control?

Delayed gastric emptying can reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives. The label advises a non-oral method or an added barrier method for four weeks after starting and for four weeks after each dose increase.

Ready to find your starting dose?

Every tirzepatide dosage decision at Alternate Health Club is made by an independently licensed U.S. clinician after an individual evaluation. No clinic visit. All 50 states. Compounded semaglutide is $129 per month. Compounded tirzepatide is $169 per month. No membership fees. No dose-escalation markups. Start your free online evaluation and a licensed U.S. clinician will review whether treatment is appropriate for you.

Free AHC calculators and tools

Every tool below is free, needs no account, and runs in your browser.

• Weight loss calculators hub — every AHC tool in one place
• BMI calculator — check where you sit against clinical eligibility thresholds
• Body fat calculator and visceral fat calculator — track composition, not just scale weight
• TDEE and macro calculator — set a calorie target that protects lean mass
• GLP-1 protein calculator — daily protein floor while appetite is suppressed
• Weight loss calculator and GLP-1 weight loss projection calculator — model a realistic timeline
• GLP-1 cost and savings calculator — compare cash pricing against brand-name retail

Medical disclaimer

The content on this page is for general educational purposes only and does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Alternate Health Club is not a pharmacy and does not manufacture medications. Prescriptions are issued by independently contracted, U.S.-licensed clinicians who evaluate each patient individually, and every treatment decision, including whether any medication is appropriate, is made at the provider’s discretion. Compounded medications are not reviewed or approved by the FDA for safety, effectiveness, or manufacturing quality. Individual results vary and no outcome is guaranteed. Brand names referenced on this page are trademarks of their respective owners and appear for educational context only. Always speak with a licensed healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.