GLP-1 pill vs injection
You are deciding between two options.
Reference and calculator, not medical advice. Dosing figures below are transcribed from FDA-approved prescribing information and link back to it. Last reviewed August 2026.
Both exist, and as of 2026 the choice is wider than it used to be — there is now an oral semaglutide labelled for weight management, not just for diabetes. The differences that are actually documented are route, frequency, dose scale, and a set of administration rules that the tablets carry and the injections do not.
Side-by-side
Structural facts from each product’s prescribing information.
| Product | Active ingredient | Indication | Frequency | Start | Max labelled | Steps to max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wegovy Novo Nordisk | Semaglutide | Weight management | Weekly | 0.25 mg | 2.4 mg | 5 |
| Wegovy tablets Novo Nordisk | Semaglutide (oral) | Weight management | Daily | 1.5 mg | 25 mg | 4 |
| Rybelsus Novo Nordisk | Semaglutide (oral) | Type 2 diabetes | Daily | 3 mg | 14 mg | 3 |
| Zepbound Eli Lilly | Tirzepatide | Weight management | Weekly | 2.5 mg | 15 mg | 6 |
The dose numbers look wildly different because oral semaglutide is absorbed far less efficiently than injected semaglutide, so a much larger milligram figure is needed to do a comparable job. Wegovy injection maintains at 2.4 mg once weekly; Wegovy tablets maintain at 25 mg once daily. Those are not comparable quantities and should never be converted into one another.
The tablets also come with administration requirements that have no injection equivalent, and they are not optional details — the label directs taking them on an empty stomach in the morning with no more than four ounces of water, swallowing whole without splitting or crushing, and waiting at least 30 minutes before any food, other drink, or other oral medication.
Wegovy tablets titration schedule
Semaglutide (oral) · once daily · oral tablet · as published in the prescribing information
| Step | Dose | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1–30 | 1.5 mg | Starting dose |
| Days 31–60 | 4 mg | — |
| Days 61–90 | 9 mg | — |
| Day 91+ | 25 mg | Maintenance dose |
This is the labelled default. Holding at a step longer than shown is common practice and is a decision for your prescriber. Transcribed from the Wegovy tablets prescribing information (label revised 30 June 2026); checked against that label on 7 August 2026.
Common questions
- Is the pill weaker than the shot?
- The milligram numbers are not comparable across routes, so they cannot answer that. What the labels give you is each product’s own schedule and maximum. How the two compare in outcome is not something this site draws conclusions about.
- Can I switch from one to the other?
- Switching between semaglutide products is a prescriber decision, and the Wegovy label explicitly advises against using it alongside other semaglutide-containing products or any other GLP-1 receptor agonist.
- Is there a tirzepatide pill?
- No oral tirzepatide product is approved. Tirzepatide is injection-only in both its brands.
- Daily versus weekly — does it matter?
- It changes what adherence looks like: a missed weekly dose has published catch-up guidance, while a daily tablet with a 30-minute fasting window has to fit your morning every day. That is a practical difference rather than a clinical claim.
Sources and last review
Every dosing figure on this page is transcribed from an FDA-approved label and links back to it. Conversions are arithmetic you can repeat by hand. Nothing here is reviewed by a clinician, and this site does not employ one — which is exactly why what I do publish stays traceable to its source.
- Wegovy (Semaglutide) prescribing information — Novo Nordisk, label revised 30 June 2026, checked 7 August 2026
- Rybelsus (Semaglutide) prescribing information — Novo Nordisk, label revised 20 May 2026, checked 7 August 2026
- Zepbound (Tirzepatide) prescribing information — Eli Lilly, label revised 6 May 2026, checked 7 August 2026
Transcribed from the labels above and checked by me — Gavin, who builds this site, takes a GLP-1, and is not a clinician. Last reviewed August 2026. Found an error? [email protected] — I treat corrections as bugs. How this site is built and funded.
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