GLP-1 Drops Dosing Chart: What Actually Exists in the UK (October 2026)

01 · The short answer

Is there a GLP-1 drops dosing chart?

No licensed dosing chart exists for GLP-1 drops, because the licensed GLP-1 and GIP/GLP-1 weight-management medicines are injections or tablets, each with a dose ladder set out in its product information. A chart for drops would have to invent a dose, and nobody can verify an invented dose.

That matters because dosing is the safety mechanism. The licensed Mounjaro ladder starts low for tolerability and rises only when you are ready. Liquid products sold online come with no such tested ladder, no tested absorption and no accountable prescriber. Our overview of GLP-1 drops covers what these products claim and where they are sold.

We do not supply drops. The licensed charts are the ones a GPhC-registered prescriber works from.

02 · Your decision

What should you do instead?

If you want a GLP-1 style treatment for weight management, the safe route is a licensed medicine prescribed after a consultation. If you are an adult with a weight-related need, you can start a free online consultation, and a GPhC-registered prescriber reviews it.

If you are not sure which medicine suits you, our weight loss clinic page explains the options.

If you want the full picture across licensed treatments, see our GLP-1 dosage chart, and for a weight-loss-specific view, the dosing chart for weight loss.

03 · Mounjaro dosing chart

Mounjaro dosing chart: the licensed ladder

Everyone starts Mounjaro on 2.5mg weekly, and that starting dose is about letting your body adjust rather than about weight loss itself.¹ 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 up to a maximum of 15mg weekly, depending on how you respond and tolerate it.¹¹

Many people settle at 5mg, 10mg or 15mg. Higher is not automatically better, and your prescriber guides the pace.¹

Tirzepatide is the first treatment of its kind to activate the GIP and GLP-1 receptors together, which helps regulate appetite and slows how quickly the stomach empties.¹ A weekly pen delivers a measured dose each time, something drops cannot do.

04 · How to take it

How to take a weekly GLP-1 injection

Mounjaro is injected under the skin once a week, on the same day each week, at any time of day, with or without food.¹³ For drop-specific questions see our guide on how to use GLP-1 drops.

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 Needles, a sharps bin and injection guidance come with every order.

The pen is set by turning the dose knob until the dose indicator shows the correct dose in the window. Each KwikPen contains four weekly doses.

For the exact handling steps, follow the pen's instructions and the patient information leaflet. Our prescribing team can also talk you through your first injection.

05 · Timing and empty stomach

Best time of day and empty stomach questions

There is no best time of day for Mounjaro, which works the same in the morning or the evening, with or without food. What matters is the same day each week.¹³ So you do not need to take it on an empty stomach, which is a question that applies to some oral products but not to the weekly pen.

Pick a day and time you will remember. Many people choose a weekend morning so that early side effects fall on days off. A phone reminder or the free GLPTrackr companion app can help you keep the routine steady.

If you ever need to move your injection day, you can, as long as at least 3 days have passed since your last dose.¹³ Never move it so that two doses fall close together.

If you are using a different licensed product, such as a tablet, its timing rules are set by that product's own information and can differ, for example around food. Follow the leaflet or your prescriber's instructions rather than assuming the rules transfer.

06 · Missed doses

What if you miss a dose?

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.¹³ 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.¹³

This is the kind of clear, tested rule that drops cannot offer. With an unlicensed liquid there is no agreed missed-dose rule, because there is no agreed dose to miss.

If you miss several doses in a row, or you are unsure how to restart, speak to your prescriber before your next injection. They can advise on how to restart.

07 · Why drops cannot be dosed

Why a drops chart cannot be trusted

A dosing chart is only as good as the product behind it, and liquid GLP-1 drops sold online have no licensed dose to chart. Sellers publish tables of drops and days because tables look authoritative, but a table does not make a dose real.

Several problems sit behind the table. The amount of active ingredient in a bottle is not independently confirmed, so the dose per drop is a guess. How much, if any, reaches your bloodstream is unproven. No regulator has reviewed the product, and nobody is accountable if something goes wrong. The MHRA runs counterfeit medicine alerts and the Yellow Card scheme for exactly this reason, and anyone offering to supply a prescription medicine without a consultation or prescription is a red flag.⁷

Our guides on GLP-1 weight loss drops and whether drops can be prescribed go deeper on these points.

If you have already bought drops, do not combine them with a prescribed pen, and tell your prescriber what you have taken. Report any side effects through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.¹⁹

08 · Microdosing

Microdosing is not a safe workaround

The licensed ladder already starts low at 2.5mg for tolerability. Altering doses outside the licence means unknown dosing accuracy and no safety data. That is the honest answer to anyone selling a gentler path through drops or dose-splitting.

If the starting dose feels like too much, the right step is to tell your prescriber, not to improvise.

09 · Wegovy and tablets

Other licensed GLP-1 options and their charts

Wegovy (semaglutide) is also a weekly injection, with pens of 0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg and 2.4mg. You can see it on our Wegovy pen page.

Liraglutide, sold as Saxenda and in products such as Erly, is supplied at 6mg per millilitre and is a daily injection, unlike the weekly Mounjaro and Wegovy. Its schedule is different, so never apply a weekly chart to a daily product.

For people who prefer not to inject, licensed tablets exist, including Wegovy tablets and Foundayo. Their dosing is set out in their own product information, and each has its own rules.²⁰²¹ Ask a prescriber which format suits you.

10 · Storage and travel

Storing and travelling with your pen

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 not above 30°C for up to 30 days, after which it should be discarded.¹ Keep the cap on to protect it from light, and never use a pen that has been frozen.

You can fly with Mounjaro. Carry pens in hand luggage, because hold luggage can fall below freezing, ideally in a cool bag with the prescription label or a copy of your prescription.¹³ Check destination rules for travelling with prescription injectables before you fly.

Unopened pens stay 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, because figures circulating online often come from other countries' labels.

11 · Pace and what to avoid

Speeding up weight loss and what not to do

Weight loss on Mounjaro is gradual by design, and you cannot safely speed it up by taking more than your prescribed dose. 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

In the SURMOUNT-1 trial, people taking tirzepatide alongside diet and exercise lost on average 15% of their body weight on 5mg, 19.5% on 10mg and 20.9% on 15mg over 72 weeks, compared with 3.1% with lifestyle changes alone. These are trial averages, and individual results vary.² Treatment works alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, not instead of them.

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.¹

What not to do:

• Do not use an unlicensed liquid in place of, or alongside, a prescribed pen.
• Do not take extra or closer-together doses to catch up.
• Do not judge progress by a single weigh-in; judge the trend.
• Do not buy from anyone offering to supply without a consultation or prescription.

12 · Serious side effects

Serious side effects: when to get help straight away

Serious side effects are uncommon but need urgent attention. 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

13 · NHS and private care

NHS and private routes to a licensed dose chart

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 use, you get a prescriber-led dose plan. Privately, that means a free online consultation reviewed by a GPhC-registered prescriber, then dispensing by our registered pharmacy (GPhC 9012878) and free next-day tracked delivery, with same-day dispatch when ordered by 3pm. Ongoing monthly reviews include dose-titration support, and repeat orders re-check suitability with no auto-shipping.

Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a prescription-only medicine used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. Individual results vary, and this is information, not a substitute for medical advice.