Tirzepatide dosage for weight loss
You are trying to work out how much to draw or when to step up.
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.
For weight management, tirzepatide is sold as Zepbound and runs the same six-step weekly schedule as Mounjaro: 2.5 mg to a labelled maximum of 15 mg, four weeks minimum at each step. The 2.5 mg starting dose is described in the labelling as an adjustment dose rather than a therapeutic one.
Zepbound titration schedule
Tirzepatide · once weekly · subcutaneous injection · as published in the prescribing information
| Step | Dose | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1–4 | 2.5 mg | Starting dose — not intended for weight loss effect |
| Weeks 5–8 | 5 mg | — |
| Weeks 9–12 | 7.5 mg | — |
| Weeks 13–16 | 10 mg | — |
| Weeks 17–20 | 12.5 mg | — |
| Week 21+ | 15 mg | Maximum 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 Zepbound prescribing information (label revised 6 May 2026); checked against that label on 7 August 2026.
The labelling identifies 5, 10 and 15 mg as maintenance options. That wording matters: reaching 15 mg is not the objective, and maintaining at a lower step indefinitely is both common and explicitly contemplated by the schedule.
Zepbound — how much you actually consume
Weekly dosing means about 4.33 doses a month. Quantity drives cost, so this is the table that decides your monthly bill.
| Dose | Per month | Per year | A 10 mg vial lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 mg | 10.82 mg | 130 mg | 4.0 weeks |
| 5 mg | 21.65 mg | 260 mg | 2.0 weeks |
| 7.5 mg | 32.48 mg | 390 mg | 1.3 weeks |
| 10 mg | 43.30 mg | 520 mg | 1.0 weeks |
| 12.5 mg | 54.13 mg | 650 mg | 0.8 weeks |
| 15 mg | 64.95 mg | 779 mg | 0.7 weeks |
Cost per milligram is the only figure that stays comparable across these rows. Enter your own quotes below to convert them onto that basis.
mg → syringe units converter
U-100 syringe. Formula: (dose ÷ concentration) × 100.
Check the concentration printed on the vial you are actually holding. The same dose in milligrams is a completely different mark on the syringe at a different concentration. If the number here does not match what your prescriber told you, trust your prescriber.
Common questions
- Is the weight-loss dose different from the diabetes dose?
- No. Zepbound and Mounjaro are the same molecule on the same schedule with the same maximum. The difference is the labelled indication.
- How long until maintenance?
- Following minimum intervals, 15 mg is at least 20 weeks out. In practice longer, because steps get held for tolerability.
- Why does the cost change as I escalate?
- Higher doses consume more drug per month, so a fixed quantity runs out sooner. The table above shows monthly consumption at each step — this is usually the missing piece when a quote turns out to be higher than expected.
Common questions
- What is the starting dose of Zepbound?
- The prescribing information lists 2.5 mg once weekly as the starting dose, held for the first four weeks before any increase.
- What is the maximum labelled dose of Zepbound?
- 15 mg once weekly, reached through the stepped schedule shown above.
- How many units is 5 mg at 20 mg/mL?
- 25.0 units on a U-100 syringe. The arithmetic is (dose ÷ concentration) × 100, and it only holds if the concentration on your vial matches.
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.
- 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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