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Basics & Technique

What dose do I start at, and how fast do I move up?

Updated 2026-05-02

Every proven GLP-1 schedule starts low and steps up every 4 weeks. This gives your body time to adjust and keeps nausea manageable. These are the schedules used in the pivotal trials. Your actual dose must come from your prescriber, who knows your history. General rule built into the labels: if you can't tolerate the next step, stay at the current dose for another 4 weeks.

IfIf you have strong nausea at 0.5 mg semaglutide
Thenthen delay the jump to 1.0 mg by 4 weeks
IfIf you are on tirzepatide and reach 15 mg
Thenthen that is the maximum per the prescribing label
IfIf someone ships you starter kits of retatrutide at 4 to 6 mg with no titration plan
Thenthen ask questions - that is faster than any published schedule
Key facts
  • Semaglutide (Wegovy): 0.25 mg weeks 1-4, 0.5 mg weeks 5-8, 1.0 mg weeks 9-12, 1.7 mg weeks 13-16, 2.4 mg from week 17
  • Tirzepatide (Zepbound / Mounjaro): 2.5 mg weeks 1-4, 5 mg weeks 5-8, 7.5 mg weeks 9-12, 10 mg weeks 13-16, 12.5 mg weeks 17-20, 15 mg from week 21
  • Retatrutide (investigational): Phase 2 used 1, 4, 8, and 12 mg cohorts; Phase 3 TRIUMPH all started at 2 mg
  • Semaglutide schedule is from the Wegovy prescribing label and the STEP 1 trial (Wilding et al., NEJM 2021)
  • Tirzepatide schedule is from the Zepbound/Mounjaro prescribing labels and the SURMOUNT-1 trial (Jastreboff et al., NEJM 2022)
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