Tirzepatide dosage chart
Everyone starts tirzepatide at 2.5 mg once weekly and steps up by 2.5 mg no sooner than every 4 weeks, up to a maximum of 15 mg. The schedule below is identical for Mounjaro and Zepbound — the only difference is the target your prescriber titrates toward.
| Dose | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5 mg | Weeks 1–4 | For treatment initiation. The Zepbound label states it is not approved as a maintenance dosage. |
| 5 mg | From week 5 | First maintenance option for weight management |
| 7.5 mg | After at least 4 weeks | A step, in 2.5 mg increments |
| 10 mg | After at least 4 weeks | The maximum for children 10 and older on Mounjaro, and the lowest dose named for sleep apnea |
| 12.5 mg | After at least 4 weeks | Adults only |
| 15 mg | After at least 4 weeks | Maximum adult dosage under either brand |
Starting, maintenance, and maximum doses
Reading the ladder: the first four weeks at 2.5 mg are an adjustment period, not a treatment dose — the label is explicit that 2.5 mg isn’t meant for long-term blood-sugar or weight control. From 5 mg onward you’re at a dose that can be held for maintenance. Increases continue in 2.5 mg steps, at least 4 weeks apart, until you reach a dose that works or the 15 mg maximum.
Not everyone climbs to the top. For weight management, the common maintenance doses are 5, 10, and 15 mg — and a lower dose you tolerate well can beat a higher one you don’t.
Mounjaro vs Zepbound dosing
Same molecule, same six strengths (2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, 15 mg), same titration — but the goal differs:
- Mounjaro (type 2 diabetes) is titrated toward a blood-sugar (A1C) target. Your prescriber may hold you at whatever dose controls your glucose.
- Zepbound (weight loss and sleep apnea) is titrated toward weight-loss maintenance, most often landing at 5, 10, or 15 mg.
Because they’re the same drug at the same strengths, switching between them is usually milligram-for-milligram — but your prescriber confirms it.
What if you miss a dose?
Take it within 4 days (96 hours) of your missed day. If more than 4 days have passed, skip that dose and take your next one on your usual day. Two rules the label is firm on: never take two doses within 3 days of each other, and never double up to “catch up.” You can also change your injection day as long as your last dose was at least 3 days (72 hours) earlier.
Dosing in units (compounded tirzepatide)
Brand Mounjaro and Zepbound come in fixed-dose pens measured in milligrams — nothing to convert. Compounded tirzepatide is different: it’s drawn from a multi-dose vial with a U-100 insulin syringe, so your prescribed milligram dose has to be converted to units for your vial’s concentration.
Units calculator
Convert a prescribed milligram dose to units on a U-100 insulin syringe.
10 units
0.25 mg ÷ 2.5 mg/mL × 100 = draw to the 10-unit mark (0.1 mL)
A conversion aid only, not dosing advice. Compounded vials vary in concentration; always confirm your exact dose and vial strength with your prescriber and the dispensing pharmacy before drawing a dose.
Results by dose
More weight loss generally tracks with higher doses, but the curve flattens. In the 72-week SURMOUNT-1 trial, adults with obesity lost roughly 15% of body weight at 5 mg, about 19–20% at 10 mg, and ~20.9% at 15 mg — so the jump from 10 to 15 mg is smaller than the climb to get there. Figures assume the trial conditions (weekly dosing plus diet and activity).