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GLP-1 dose ladders

By Julian RothResearch & data

The titration schedule for each major GLP-1 medication, step by step — read straight from the FDA prescribing information. Pick a drug to see how its dose climbs from the starting dose to maintenance, and why it’s done slowly.

Wegovy

semaglutide · Weight management, heart risk, MASH

Step the dose up gradually — each level is held for the labeled interval before increasing, to improve tolerability.

  1. Weeks 1–4
    0.25 mg
  2. Weeks 5–8
    0.5 mg
  3. Weeks 9–12
    1 mg
  4. Weeks 13–16
    1.7 mg
  5. Week 17+
    2.4 mg· maintenance range
Route
Subcutaneous · once weekly
Maintenance
2.4 mg (recommended) or 1.7 mg once weekly
Maximum dose
7.2 mg once weekly (adult weight reduction only)
Indication
Weight management, heart risk, MASH

Source: Wegovy FDA label (DailyMed) ↗

How to read this

Each rung is a dose level, held for the interval the label specifies (usually four weeks) before the next increase. The starting dose exists to let your gut adjust — it is not where the drug does most of its work. This is a reference, not an instruction: your prescriber may titrate more slowly, pause a step, or stop at a lower maintenance dose if side effects appear. For what those side effects feel like and when they tend to hit, see our GLP-1 side-effect timeline, and for how weight loss tracks against the schedule, our semaglutide results timeline.

Sources

Common questions

Why do GLP-1 drugs start at a low dose and increase slowly?
The dose is escalated gradually — typically holding each level for about four weeks — to reduce gastrointestinal side effects like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The starting dose is a tolerability dose, not a treatment dose; the therapeutic effect builds at the higher maintenance doses reached after the titration period.
How long does it take to reach the full GLP-1 dose?
For the weight-management injectables it generally takes about 16–20 weeks of stepwise increases to reach the maintenance or maximum dose. The daily pills step up every 30 days instead: the Wegovy pill reaches its 25 mg maintenance dose on day 91, and Foundayo takes at least five months to reach its 17.2 mg maximum. Schedules vary by drug and your prescriber may move slower if side effects occur. Always follow the schedule your clinician sets, not a generic chart.
Are these schedules the same for diabetes and weight loss?
No. The same molecule is titrated to different targets depending on the brand and indication — for example semaglutide reaches 2.4 mg as Wegovy for weight management (with an optional increase to 7.2 mg for adults) but is typically targeted to 0.5–2 mg as Ozempic for type-2 diabetes. Oral semaglutide is similar: the Wegovy pill for weight loss climbs to 25 mg a day, while Rybelsus and Ozempic tablets for diabetes stop at 14 mg and 9 mg. The ladders here are shown per brand.