Tirzepatide vs Semaglutide Dosage for Weight Loss (October 2026)

01 · The short answer

Tirzepatide vs semaglutide dosage: the verdict

Neither dose ladder is 'stronger' than the other, because the milligram figures belong to different medicines. Tirzepatide's pen strengths run 2.5mg to 15mg and semaglutide's 0.25mg to 2.4mg, yet both are prescribed once weekly and both start low.¹¹⁸ What you can compare fairly is outcomes in trials, and the first large head-to-head trial, SURMOUNT-5, found a higher average weight loss on tirzepatide.

Which medicine suits you depends on your health profile, tolerance and prescriber advice; the head-to-head trial found a higher average loss on tirzepatide, and individual results vary. Both are licensed, effective treatments, and the right one depends on your health profile, tolerance and prescriber advice rather than the headline number alone.¹⁵

For a wider overview beyond dosing, our guide to tirzepatide versus semaglutide covers the full comparison, and our dose chart lays the steps out in one place.

02 · At a glance

Dosing, trial results and cost compared

The table puts the dosing facts next to the first large head-to-head trial, SURMOUNT-5 (751 adults, 72 weeks). Trial averages do not predict your own result.

Our head-to-head weight loss page walks through SURMOUNT-5 in more detail.

03 · Deciding

What should drive your choice?

Dose size should not drive your choice, because milligrams do not translate between the two medicines. The factors that matter are the evidence, how you tolerate each medicine, your health history and what you can sustain month after month.

Start with the evidence. In SURMOUNT-5, 81.6% of people on tirzepatide lost at least 10% of body weight against 60.5% on semaglutide 2.4mg.¹⁵ That is a trial average across a population and does not predict your own result. Your prescriber will weigh your history and how you tolerate treatment before choosing.

Finally, think about running costs. Mounjaro's standard monthly price rises with dose: £169.99 at 2.5mg, £218.99 at 5mg and £329.99 at 15mg, and every later order is £25 off the standard price. You can check the live Mounjaro pen prices and start a consultation, or look at the Wegovy pen for the semaglutide route. Prices were checked 10 October 2026.

04 · Tirzepatide dose steps

Tirzepatide dose steps explained

Tirzepatide is supplied as a pre-filled multi-dose KwikPen in six strengths: 2.5mg, 5mg, 7.5mg, 10mg, 12.5mg and 15mg.¹ Treatment begins on the 2.5mg pen. After at least 4 weeks the dose increases to 5mg, then can step up by 2.5mg at a minimum of 4-week intervals, depending on how you respond and tolerate it. Not everyone needs to reach 15mg.

If you step up after 4 weeks on each dose, your first four pens (2.5mg to 10mg) cost £959.96 at standard prices. A new customer's first order is £40 less, and every later order is £25 less.

Your dose is a prescriber decision, not a target to race towards. The prescribing team at EverydayMeds carries out monthly reviews and follow-up assessments, so each step up is reviewed rather than automatic. Repeat orders re-check suitability, and nothing is shipped automatically.

05 · Semaglutide dose steps

Semaglutide (Wegovy) dose steps

Wegovy comes in five pens: 0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg and 2.4mg, all once weekly.¹⁸ The 2.4mg dose is the licensed maintenance dose for weight management.

In STEP 1, adults on semaglutide 2.4mg lost on average 14.9% of body weight over 68 weeks, against 2.4% on placebo.⁹ In the same trial, 86.4% lost at least 5% of body weight, 69.1% at least 10% and 50.5% at least 15%. These are trial averages and individual results vary. STEP 1 compared semaglutide with placebo, so it cannot be set against tirzepatide's own trial numbers.

06 · Results by dose

Does a higher dose mean more weight loss?

For tirzepatide, average weight loss rose with dose in SURMOUNT-1. In that trial of 2,539 adults, people lost on average 15% of body weight on 5mg, 19.5% on 10mg and 20.9% on 15mg over 72 weeks, against 3.1% with lifestyle changes alone.² These were taken alongside diet and exercise, and individual results vary.

The share of people reaching larger losses also rose. At 72 weeks, 85% on 5mg, 89% on 10mg and 91% on 15mg had lost at least 5% of body weight. Half of those on 10mg and 57% on 15mg lost at least 20%.²

As a worked example, for someone starting at 100 kg, 20.9% is about 21 kg. That is straight arithmetic from a trial average, not a forecast for you. A higher dose is not always the right answer: your prescriber balances results against how you feel on each step.

For semaglutide, the licensed maintenance dose is 2.4mg, so the question 'which dose' is mostly about reaching it comfortably.¹⁸ In SURMOUNT-5, tirzepatide averaged 22.8 kg lost against 15.0 kg on semaglutide 2.4mg.¹⁵ Our superiority analysis covers that trial in more depth.

07 · Side effects and dosing

Side effects and serious warning signs

Side effects are most often discussed during dose increases, which is why both medicines are stepped up gradually. For semaglutide 2.4mg, STEP 1 reported gastrointestinal side effects in 74.2% of people, compared with 47.9% on placebo. 7.0% stopped treatment because of side effects, against 3.1% on placebo.⁹

Talk to your prescriber if symptoms worry you, and report any suspected side effect through the Yellow Card scheme.¹⁹ Our page on side effects by dosage goes further.

Never change your dose, skip steps or use extra injections to speed things up. Dose changes belong with your prescriber.

08 · Switching between them

Switching between semaglutide and tirzepatide

There is no licensed direct conversion between semaglutide and tirzepatide, so you cannot calculate an equivalent dose. Switching is done under prescriber supervision. Typically the previous medicine is stopped, a washout interval is observed, and Mounjaro is started at a dose your prescriber judges appropriate, often the 2.5mg starting dose and sometimes adjusted based on your history.

Never run two GLP-1 medicines together. The same warning covers unlicensed 'research' peptides such as retatrutide, which has no UK licence, and compounded copies. These combinations have no safety data and no regulated supply chain. If something promises faster results outside a licensed pathway, that is the warning sign.

Switching to us from another provider at a higher dose? A new customer gets £40 off their first order at any dose with code FIRST40.

Tirzepatide has a half-life of about five days, so after a final dose it takes roughly 4–5 weeks to clear the system. Nothing needs doing while it clears, and there is no way to speed it up.¹

09 · Ozempic and tablets

Ozempic, tablets and other options

Ozempic is semaglutide licensed for type 2 diabetes. It is not a UK weight-loss medicine, and prescribing it privately for weight loss is off-label. The licensed weight-management options are Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and Wegovy (semaglutide 2.4mg), so a regulated UK pharmacy will not supply Ozempic for weight loss.

There is no tablet form of Mounjaro; tirzepatide is injection-only in the UK. Two GLP-1 weight-loss tablets are now licensed: Wegovy tablets (oral semaglutide), approved by the MHRA in June 2026, and Foundayo (orforglipron, made by Eli Lilly), approved in August 2026.²⁰²¹ See current Wegovy tablet prices on the product page, and read our Foundayo and semaglutide pill comparison.

'Natural GLP-1' supplements such as berberine are not medicines, are not regulated for this use and have no comparable trial evidence. They are low-cost supplements with no clinical oversight, and their dosing is not standardised.

10 · NHS and private access

NHS and private access

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. 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.

NHS access to Wegovy runs through specialist weight-management services; ask your GP.

Privately, Mounjaro is a prescription-only medicine supplied after an online consultation reviewed by a GPhC-registered prescriber. It is used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, and individual results vary. This page is information, not a substitute for medical advice.

11 · 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

12 · How ordering works

How ordering works with us

EverydayMeds is a GPhC-registered UK online pharmacy (registration 9012878), and we supply Mounjaro through official LillyDirect supply, with all six doses in stock. Ordering takes three steps.

• Free consultation. Complete a short health questionnaire through our free online consultation, with no charge and no obligation.
• Prescriber review. A GPhC-registered prescriber reviews it. Payment is taken when you place the order; if the prescriber decides the treatment is not suitable, the order is refunded automatically in full.
• Dispatch and delivery. Orders placed by 3pm are dispatched the same day, with free next-day tracked delivery in temperature-controlled packaging. Saturday delivery is £14.99.

New customers save £40 on their first order with code FIRST40, and an automatic £25 reorder discount applies to every future order (code DOSE25). Ongoing monthly reviews are included, and you can browse all weight loss treatments to see the wider range.