Tirzepatide Dosing: What the Labels and Trials Specify
Tirzepatide is unusual among the compounds in this category in that it has an approved label, so the dose schedule is not a matter of inference. This page reports what the FDA-approved prescribing information specifies and what the registered trials administered, with sources.
Tirzepatide is a once-weekly subcutaneous dual agonist acting on both the GIP and GLP-1 receptors. That second receptor target is what separates it from semaglutide, and it shows up in the head-to-head data below.
Approved tirzepatide dose escalation
The approved escalation is the same shape for both brands: start low, hold for four weeks, step up in 2.5mg increments, stop at 15mg.
| Step | Dose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Starting dose | 2.5mg weekly | 4 weeks |
| Each increase | +2.5mg | at least 4 weeks on the current dose first |
| Maintenance (weight) | 5mg, 10mg or 15mg weekly | ongoing |
| Maintenance (sleep apnea) | 10mg or 15mg weekly | ongoing |
| Maximum | 15mg weekly | all indications |
The full ladder is therefore 2.5 → 5 → 7.5 → 10 → 12.5 → 15mg, with a minimum of four weeks at each step. 2.5mg is explicitly a starting dose for tolerability rather than a maintenance dose.
Results by dose
SURMOUNT-1, 72 weeks, adults with obesity and without type 2 diabetes: the 15mg dose produced a mean weight reduction of 20.9% on the treatment-policy estimand, against 3.1% on placebo.
SURMOUNT-5, 72 weeks, 751 adults with obesity and without type 2 diabetes, is the direct head-to-head against semaglutide. Tirzepatide at 10mg or 15mg produced −20.2% mean weight reduction; semaglutide at 1.7mg or 2.4mg produced −13.7%.
In the SURPASS programme, in type 2 diabetes, A1C reduction scaled with dose across the 5mg to 15mg range.
Effect tracks dose in every study. So does the adverse-event burden, which is the reason the label mandates the four-week hold at each step rather than allowing a jump to the target dose.
Why the escalation exists
Gastrointestinal adverse events — nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation — are the most commonly reported across the trial programme and are dose-dependent. The stepwise ladder is a tolerability measure, not a formality, and the label sets a four-week floor at each dose before any increase.
Is tirzepatide FDA approved?
Yes, under two brand names. Mounjaro was approved in May 2022 for type 2 diabetes. Zepbound was approved on 8 November 2023 for chronic weight management, and on 20 December 2024 for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity — the first medication approved for that indication. A multi-dose KwikPen presentation followed in February 2026.
Material supplied by MyGLP1Store is not any of those products. It is tirzepatide supplied for laboratory research use only, with no approved label attaching to it.
Why this is not a dosing protocol
Every figure on this page describes either an approved prescribing schedule for a prescription medicine or what a clinical trial administered to screened participants under medical supervision, with escalation rules, monitoring and predefined withdrawal criteria. None of it constitutes a recommendation. Material supplied by MyGLP1Store is for laboratory research use only and is not for human consumption.
Tirzepatide Dosing — Frequently Asked Questions
What is the tirzepatide dose ladder?
2.5mg weekly for four weeks, then increases of 2.5mg at a time with at least four weeks on each dose: 2.5 → 5 → 7.5 → 10 → 12.5 → 15mg.
What is the maximum tirzepatide dose?
15mg once weekly. That is the ceiling for every approved indication.
How often is tirzepatide administered?
Once weekly by subcutaneous injection.
Is 2.5mg a maintenance dose?
No. The label treats 2.5mg as a starting dose for tolerability. The maintenance options are 5mg, 10mg and 15mg for weight, and 10mg or 15mg for obstructive sleep apnea.
How does tirzepatide compare to semaglutide on weight loss?
In SURMOUNT-5, the only direct head-to-head, tirzepatide produced −20.2% mean weight reduction against −13.7% for semaglutide over 72 weeks.
Further reading
- Tirzepatide cost — price per vial, per mg and per month.
- Tirzepatide (TIRZ) — single vials, 5mg to 120mg.
- Bulk tirzepatide — wholesale kits of 10 vials.
- Semaglutide dosing — the comparable GLP-1-only schedule.
- Retatrutide dosing — the triple agonist, still investigational.