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Basics & Technique

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

Updated 2026-05-02

Approved GLP-1 medications are designed to start at a low dose and step up gradually, which gives your body time to adjust. The exact starting point, the size of each step, and how long you stay at each one are set by the FDA prescribing label for that specific medication and by the prescriber who knows your history, not by an app. If you want the official schedule, it lives in the prescribing label for your medication, and your provider is the one who decides what is right for you. And if anything gets sold to you with no prescription and no titration plan, treat that as a reason to slow down and ask your provider questions.

IfIf a dose increase brings on strong nausea
Thenthen talk to your provider about the timing before you change anything, since they adjust the plan and the app does not
IfIf you are unsure whether you have reached the maximum dose for your medication
Thenthen check the FDA prescribing label or ask your provider, because the label defines the ceiling
IfIf someone sells you a peptide with no prescription and no titration plan
Thenthen treat that as a red flag and bring it to your provider before using it
Key facts
  • Approved GLP-1 medications such as semaglutide and tirzepatide are titrated, meaning the dose is stepped up gradually rather than started at full strength.
  • The official titration schedules live in the FDA prescribing labels (Wegovy, Zepbound, Mounjaro), which your prescriber uses to set your plan.
  • Retatrutide is investigational and not FDA-approved, so it has only been studied in clinical trials and there is no established schedule for general use.
  • The semaglutide schedule comes from the Wegovy prescribing label and the STEP 1 trial (Wilding et al., NEJM 2021).
  • The tirzepatide schedule comes from the Zepbound and Mounjaro prescribing labels and the SURMOUNT-1 trial (Jastreboff et al., NEJM 2022).
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