GLP-1 Dosage Chart UK: Mounjaro, Wegovy and Tablets (October 2026)

01 · The charts

The GLP-1 dosage chart at a glance

The licensed Mounjaro ladder runs from 2.5mg up to 15mg once weekly. Everyone starts on the lowest strength, and each strength is a separate pen containing four weekly doses.¹ The same layout applies to every pen, and the pen is dialled until the right number shows in the window.

After at least 4 weeks the dose increases to 5mg, and can then step up by 2.5mg at a minimum of 4-week intervals (7.5mg, 10mg, 12.5mg) up to a maximum of 15mg weekly, depending on how you respond and tolerate it.¹ Those intervals are minimums, not targets. Your prescriber can hold you on a dose for longer.

The Wegovy chart is a different ladder for a different active ingredient.

02 · Your decision

Which chart applies to you?

The chart that applies to you is the one for the medicine you have been prescribed, nothing else. A strength number only has meaning inside its own medicine. A 2.4mg Wegovy dose is not a stronger or weaker version of a 2.5mg Mounjaro dose, because the two contain different active ingredients that act in different ways. Tirzepatide activates two gut-hormone receptors, GIP and GLP-1, while semaglutide is a single-action GLP-1 medicine.¹

If you are new to treatment, you will start at the bottom of whichever ladder your prescriber chooses. If you are already on a GLP-1 medicine and thinking about changing provider or product, the starting point on a new ladder is a prescriber's decision, not a calculation you can do from a table. Our guide to GLP-1 dose conversion covers the same ground from the switching angle.

Two practical points help most readers. First, the starting dose is about tolerability rather than weight loss. Second, many people settle at a middle strength rather than the maximum.

03 · Next step

What to do next

If you want to begin Mounjaro, the route is a free online consultation reviewed by a GPhC-registered prescriber, who decides whether it is suitable and which strength you start on. You can see current strengths and prices on the Mounjaro pen page. New customers save £40 on their first order with code FIRST40, and an automatic £25 reorder discount applies to every future order (code DOSE25). If you would rather compare approaches first, our weight loss clinic page sets out the options we support.

04 · Mounjaro dose ladder

The Mounjaro dose ladder explained

Mounjaro is the brand name for tirzepatide, a once-weekly injectable prescription medicine made by Eli Lilly. In the UK it is licensed for weight management in adults and for type 2 diabetes. It comes as a pre-filled multi-dose pen (KwikPen) in six strengths: 2.5mg, 5mg, 7.5mg, 10mg, 12.5mg and 15mg.¹ Every strength is a separate pen, and each pen holds four weekly doses, so a pen lasts a month at a steady weekly schedule.

The ladder is designed to be climbed slowly. Everyone starts on 2.5mg once a week. That first strength is not expected to do the heavy lifting. It exists so your body can adjust to a medicine that slows stomach emptying and changes appetite signals. After at least four weeks you move to 5mg, and from there the dose can rise in 2.5mg steps, never faster than after at least four weeks, until the prescriber and you agree it is doing its job at a level you tolerate.

The words matter here. Many people settle at a maintenance dose of 5mg, 10mg or 15mg, and higher is not automatically better.¹ A chart makes the top look like the goal. It is not.

How the mechanism fits the chart

Tirzepatide activates two natural gut-hormone receptors at once: GIP and GLP-1. Together these help regulate appetite, slow how quickly the stomach empties, and improve the way the body responds to insulin. In practice, most people feel fuller sooner and less hungry between meals, which supports a reduced-calorie diet.¹

What the chart does not tell you

A chart cannot tell you how you will respond. Some people notice appetite change in the first weeks and others feel little until a higher dose, and both patterns are normal.¹ Treat the table as the outer boundary of what is licensed, and your prescriber's plan as the actual route through it. Our fuller Mounjaro dosage chart page walks through each strength in more depth.

When you have a pen in hand, the dose is set by turning the knob until the dose indicator shows the correct dose in the window.

05 · Wegovy dose ladder

The Wegovy dose ladder

Wegovy is semaglutide, a once-weekly injection for weight management, and its chart is shorter than Mounjaro's. The pens are 0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg and 2.4mg once weekly. Titration steps up after at least four weeks, reaching the 2.4mg maintenance dose from week 17, and 2.4mg is the licensed maintenance dose for weight management.¹⁸

The first two strengths are the starting phase and are not expected to be the dose you stay on. If side effects are troublesome, a prescriber can hold you at an earlier step, but the licence still frames 2.4mg as the destination.

Why you cannot read across to Mounjaro

It is tempting to place the two ladders side by side and match the rungs. Resist that. Semaglutide is a single-action GLP-1 medicine, while tirzepatide acts on two receptors. The milligram numbers are therefore not on a shared scale. A person who has reached 2.4mg of Wegovy is not at an obvious equivalent point on Mounjaro, and a prescriber starting someone on Mounjaro after Wegovy makes a clinical judgement about the starting strength.

The first large trial that compared tirzepatide directly with injected semaglutide is SURMOUNT-5, and its results do not give a dose-conversion rule.¹⁵ It tells you about average outcomes in a group, not how many milligrams of one medicine equal another.

Pen formats and what to ask

Wegovy pens are dialled to a dose in the same general way as other injectable pens, but the details differ by device, so rely on the leaflet in your box. Our Wegovy click dosage chart page explains how the click-style pen works. If you are looking at the injectable on our site, the Wegovy pen page shows the current options.

When reading any Wegovy chart online, check that it is for the injection rather than the tablet and that it refers to the UK product. Charts from other countries may use different pen types and different step lengths, and mixing them up is a common source of confusion. If anything in a chart contradicts your prescriber's instructions or your leaflet, follow the prescriber and ask for clarification before your next injection.

06 · Equivalent dose charts

Why equivalent-dose charts are risky

No approved chart converts a dose of one GLP-1 medicine into the matching dose of another, and you should be wary of any page that claims to. Each medicine is dosed against its own trial evidence and its own tolerability data.

There are two reasons a straight conversion does not work. First, the active ingredients differ: tirzepatide is a dual GIP and GLP-1 medicine, while semaglutide and the tablets act on GLP-1 alone.¹ Second, tolerability is individual. Someone who tolerates a high dose of one medicine may still feel unwell when starting another.

The tablet case shows the trap clearly. For Foundayo, the UK 17.2mg tablet corresponds to the highest trial dose, but the trial used capsules, so the tablet and capsule doses are not comparable milligram for milligram.²³ If the same medicine in two forms does not map neatly, medicines with different ingredients certainly do not.

What does exist

The labels do give one narrow, supervised switch. People on the 2.4mg weekly Wegovy injection can move to the 25mg tablet, starting one week after their last injection.²⁰ That statement belongs to the Wegovy label and applies between two forms of the same active ingredient. It is not a template for any other pair of medicines.

Switching safely in practice

If you are moving between providers on the same medicine, bring your latest prescription and tell the new prescriber your current strength, how long you have been on it and any side effects. They will decide on a starting point. If you are moving between different medicines, expect a prescriber to treat you as needing a cautious start, because a table cannot account for your history.

Do not use a chart to self-adjust. Our related pages on the dose comparison chart and on GLP-1 dosing approach the same topic from different angles.

The takeaway is simple. Use a chart to understand the structure of one medicine's ladder, and use a prescriber to decide where you sit on it.

07 · GLP-1 tablet doses

GLP-1 tablets: oral dosing charts

There is no tablet form of Mounjaro, because tirzepatide is injection-only in the UK.¹ The tablets are Wegovy tablets (oral semaglutide, made by Novo Nordisk) and Foundayo (orforglipron, made by Eli Lilly).

Wegovy tablets

Wegovy tablets contain semaglutide, the same active ingredient as the Wegovy injection, taken as one tablet once a day. They are licensed for weight management in adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 to under 30 with at least one weight-related condition, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity.²⁰ Treatment starts at 1.5mg once daily and steps up to 4mg, 9mg and then the 25mg maintenance dose, with at least one month at each dose; the dose can stay at an earlier step if needed.²⁰

The routine is strict. The tablet must be taken on an empty stomach after fasting for at least 8 hours, swallowed whole with a sip of water (up to half a glass, about 120ml), and you then wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking or taking other tablets. If a dose is missed, skip it and take the next tablet the following day.²⁰

In the OASIS 4 trial, adults taking semaglutide 25mg tablets for 64 weeks lost on average 13.6% of their body weight, compared with 2.2% on placebo.²² Individual results vary.

Foundayo

Foundayo contains orforglipron, a once-daily GLP-1 tablet made by Eli Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro. Unlike Wegovy tablets it can be taken at any time of day, with or without food and without water restrictions; the tablet is swallowed whole.²¹ It has the same licensed weight-management criteria as Wegovy tablets. Treatment starts at 0.8mg once daily, then steps up to 2.5mg and 5.5mg, and then to 9mg, 14.5mg or 17.2mg depending on response and tolerability, with at least 30 days at each dose; 17.2mg once daily is the maximum.²¹ If a dose is missed, take it as soon as possible, but never more than one tablet a day.

Foundayo may make oral contraceptive pills less effective: switch to a non-oral method or add a barrier method for 30 days after starting and for 30 days after each dose increase.²¹

In the ATTAIN-1 trial of 3,127 adults without type 2 diabetes, people taking the highest dose of orforglipron for 72 weeks lost on average 12.4% of their body weight, compared with 0.9% on placebo; the two lower doses gave 7.8% and 9.3%.²³

Tablets against the injection

Mounjaro is a once-weekly injection; Wegovy tablets and Foundayo are once-daily tablets. No trial has compared Mounjaro directly with either tablet, so results from separate trials should not be set against each other as if they were head to head.¹⁵

08 · Liraglutide and units

Liraglutide, millilitres and units

Charts that talk about millilitres or units usually belong to a different kind of pen from the Mounjaro KwikPen, and mixing them up is a common source of dosing error. Liraglutide, supplied as Saxenda and in products such as Erly, comes at a concentration of 6mg per millilitre and is a daily injection, unlike once-weekly Mounjaro and Wegovy.

Reading a chart in units or millilitres

The Mounjaro KwikPen is set by turning the dose knob until the dose indicator shows the correct dose in the window. If you see a page that asks you to measure Mounjaro in units on a syringe, it is describing something other than the licensed pen. Our page on the Mounjaro dosage chart in units addresses this confusion directly.

Why unit-based charts spread

Unit-based charts exist because some unlicensed or non-UK products are supplied as vials and drawn up with a syringe. Those products carry risks that the UK pen does not: measuring errors, uncertain content and no pharmacy dispensing check. Counterfeit and unregulated products are a real concern, and the MHRA publishes alerts and runs the Yellow Card scheme for reporting problems.⁷ A UK pen supplied by a GPhC-registered pharmacy removes that measuring step entirely.

Liraglutide versus the weekly injections

Liraglutide is a daily injection, and your prescriber sets the dosing schedule.

If you are unsure what your pen shows, check the leaflet inside the box or contact the pharmacy that supplied it before injecting. Asking costs nothing, and a wrong dose is not something you can undo. Pharmacists would much rather answer the question than deal with the consequences of a guess.

09 · Missed doses and timing

Missed doses, timing and changing your day

The most useful rows on any dosage chart are the ones that charts leave out: what to do when life gets in the way. For Mounjaro the rules are precise and worth knowing before you need them. If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you can within 4 days (96 hours) of the scheduled time, then carry on with your usual day.¹ If more than 4 days have passed, skip the missed dose entirely and take the next one on your normal day — never take two doses within 3 days of each other.¹

That last clause is the one to remember. A missed dose is never made up by doubling. If you are unsure whether you are inside the window, treat the safer choice as skipping, and speak to the pharmacy.

Changing your injection day

You can change your weekly injection day if needed, as long as at least 3 days (72 hours) have passed since your last dose.¹ People do this around holidays, shift patterns or when side effects keep landing on a working day. Once you move, stay on the new day each week.

Time of day

There is no "best" time of day. Mounjaro works the same morning or evening, with or without food. What matters is the same day each week. Pick a day and time you will remember; many people choose a weekend morning so early side effects fall on days off.¹ Mounjaro is injected under the skin once a week, on the same day each week, at any time of day.

Where to inject

Licensed injection sites are the stomach area (at least 5cm from the belly button), the front of the thigh, or the back of the upper arm if someone else gives the injection. Rotate the site with each dose.¹³ Rotation helps keep the skin comfortable over months of treatment. Follow the pen's instructions for how long to hold it in place rather than relying on a number from the internet.

Comparing with other schedules

Wegovy tablets are stricter, as a missed dose is skipped and the next tablet taken the following day, and Foundayo allows a missed dose to be taken as soon as possible but never more than one tablet a day.²⁰²¹ A prescriber will check which option suits your routine as well as your health.

Our dosing chart for drops page explains why oral drop products are not a substitute for a licensed schedule. If a drop product shows a dose chart, it is not a licensed UK medicine with an approved ladder.

10 · Storage and travel

Storing pens and travelling with your dose

A dosage chart assumes your pen still works as intended, and that depends on storage. Keep Mounjaro pens in a fridge at 2–8°C and never freeze them. Once in use, a pen can be kept out of the fridge at a temperature not above 30°C for up to 30 days after first use — useful for short trips — and must then be thrown away. Keep the pen cap on to protect it from light, and never use a pen that has been frozen.¹³

Unopened pens

Unopened pens should be kept in the fridge and keep until the expiry date printed on the box. If an unopened pen has been out of the fridge, check with the pharmacy before using it rather than relying on a remembered day limit — figures circulating online often come from other countries' labels.¹³ That caution matters because charts and forum summaries often mix UK and US information.

Flying and holidays

You can fly with Mounjaro. Carry pens in hand luggage (hold luggage can fall below freezing), ideally in a cool bag with the prescription label or a copy of your prescription.¹³ In-use pens tolerate up to 30 days not above 30°C, so most holidays need no special arrangements; for hot climates use an insulated pouch. Check destination rules for travelling with prescription injectables before you fly.

Plan your dose day around travel too. If your injection day falls mid-journey, you can move it as long as at least three days (72 hours) have passed since your last dose, then stay on the new day.¹ Taking the pen out in good time is simpler than trying to catch up afterwards.

Delivery and cold chain

Our orders are dispatched in temperature-controlled, discreet packaging by free next-day tracked delivery, with same-day dispatch when ordered by 3pm. Needles, sharps bin and injection guidance are included with every order. On arrival, put the pen in the fridge unless you are about to use it.

Tablets have their own storage instructions on the packaging, so check the leaflet. The key habit for every GLP-1 product is the same: read the storage line of the product information that came with your supply, not a chart from a different country or product. For more on timing within a schedule, our weight-loss dosing chart guide pulls the practical points together.

11 · Pace, review and NHS access

Pace of results, reviews and NHS access

A dose chart describes how medicine is delivered; it does not describe how quickly you will lose weight. Weight loss on Mounjaro is gradual by design. The first weeks on 2.5mg are an adjustment phase and losses are usually modest; most measurable progress builds from 5mg onward, month by month.¹ Trials measured results at 72 weeks — think in months, not days, and judge progress by trend, not individual weigh-ins.

The 2.5mg starting weeks are about adjustment, and experiences differ widely: some people notice appetite change and early loss in the first week, others feel little until a higher dose — both are normal. Early loss includes water weight, so the trend over weeks matters more than any single weigh-in. Mild nausea, altered appetite and tiredness in the first days after each injection are the commonest early effects and usually settle.¹³

Review points

Treatment response is reviewed by your prescriber: if you have lost less than 5% of your starting weight after 6 months on the highest dose you can tolerate, your prescriber will discuss whether continuing or stopping is right for you.⁴ Notice the phrase highest tolerated dose. The chart's top row is not a requirement, and a lower dose that you tolerate is a legitimate place to be reviewed.

Stopping treatment

Tirzepatide has a half-life of about five days, so after a final dose it takes roughly 4–5 weeks to clear the system — there is no way to speed this up, and nothing needs doing while it clears.¹ Mounjaro manages weight; it does not cure the biology behind it. In SURMOUNT-4, people who stopped tirzepatide after 36 weeks regained on average 14% of body weight over the following year, while those who continued treatment lost a further 5.5% on average. Stopping should always be planned with your prescriber, with diet and activity habits ready to carry the load.

NHS and private routes

Mounjaro is available on the NHS, but access is being phased in over several years. NICE recommends it for adults with a BMI of at least 35 plus at least one weight-related condition, and the NHS primary-care rollout began in June 2025 with the highest-need groups first (initially BMI 40+ with four or more qualifying conditions).⁴⁶ Full rollout is expected to take years, which is why many people who meet the licensed criteria choose regulated private treatment rather than waiting.

Whichever route you take, the dose chart is the same licensed ladder and a prescriber still decides your pace. Payment is taken when you place the order; if the prescriber decides the treatment is not suitable, the order is refunded automatically in full. Mounjaro is a prescription-only medicine used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, and individual results vary. This page is information, not a substitute for medical advice.

12 · Safety and off-label doses

Safety: why you should not improvise doses

The most important thing a dosage chart can teach is where the safe edges are.

Side effects to expect and report

Digestive effects are the most common with every GLP-1 medicine, and the tablets list nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, indigestion and stomach pain, with gallstones and hair loss listed as common for Wegovy tablets.²² In the ATTAIN-1 trial, 10.3% of people on the highest dose stopped because of side effects, compared with 2.7% on placebo.²³

If you notice a symptom that is not described in your leaflet, discuss it with your prescriber and report it through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.¹⁹ Reporting helps regulators track real-world safety.

Contraception

Mounjaro slows stomach emptying, which can reduce how well oral contraceptive pills are absorbed. The SmPC advises switching to a non-oral method, or adding a barrier method (such as condoms), for 4 weeks after starting Mounjaro and for 4 weeks after each dose increase.⁷

Other medicines

If you take insulin or sulfonylureas, doses may need adjusting because of the risk of low blood sugar. This is a conversation for your prescriber and diabetes team rather than something to manage from a chart.

Buying safely

Because demand is high, counterfeit and unregulated products circulate online. Anyone offering to supply without a consultation or prescription should be avoided. Check the pharmacy's registration on the GPhC register; ours is GPhC 9012878, and we supply genuine KwikPens through official LillyDirect supply direct from Eli Lilly's UK distribution.¹² A legitimate pen arrives with a pharmacy label, a leaflet and instructions, and your dose is confirmed by the number in the window, not by guesswork.

13 · Serious side effects

Serious side effects: when to get help straight away

Serious side effects are uncommon but need urgent attention. Mounjaro must not be used during pregnancy, and it should be stopped at least one month before trying to conceive. If you become pregnant during treatment, stop the medicine and tell your prescriber promptly. Seek immediate medical help for: severe, persistent stomach pain that may spread to your back, with or without vomiting (possible pancreatitis); pain in the upper right abdomen, fever or yellowing of skin/eyes (possible gallbladder problems); or signs of a severe allergic reaction such as swelling of the face or throat and difficulty breathing. If you take insulin or a sulfonylurea alongside Mounjaro, watch for low blood sugar (shakiness, sweating, confusion) — your prescriber may need to adjust those medicines.¹