Eight GLP-1 products, four molecules, one pattern: every label starts you on a dose meant for getting used to the drug, then lets you climb one rung at a time. The weekly injections climb no faster than every four weeks. The daily pills climb no faster than every 30 days. What changes between brands is the size of the numbers, and the numbers are not interchangeable: 2.4 mg is a high dose of semaglutide and 2.5 mg is the first dose of tirzepatide. Every figure in the chart below is copied from the FDA label on DailyMed, read on 8 October 2026. Your prescriber's instructions come first; this page shows what the label says, so you can check the plan you were given against it.
The chart: all eight, side by side
| Drug (molecule) | Start dose | Step-ups and interval | Maintenance / max dose | How taken | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wegovy pen (semaglutide) | 0.25 mg weekly, weeks 1 to 4 | 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg, each for 4 weeks | 1.7 or 2.4 mg (2.4 recommended); max 7.2 mg | Injection, once a week, any time of day | 1 |
| Wegovy pill (semaglutide) | 1.5 mg daily, days 1 to 30 | 4 mg, then 9 mg, each for 30 days | 25 mg daily from day 91 | Tablet, empty stomach, up to 4 oz water, wait 30 min | 2 |
| Ozempic pen (semaglutide) | 0.25 mg weekly for 4 weeks | 0.5 mg, then 1 mg, then 2 mg, each after at least 4 weeks | 0.5, 1 or 2 mg; max 2 mg | Injection, once a week, same day each week | 3 |
| Ozempic pill (semaglutide) | 1.5 mg daily, days 1 to 30 | 4 mg on days 31 to 60, then 9 mg if more control is needed | 4 or 9 mg; max 9 mg | Tablet, empty stomach, up to 4 oz water, wait 30 min | 4 |
| Rybelsus (semaglutide), being replaced | 3 mg daily, days 1 to 30 | 7 mg on days 31 to 60, then 14 mg if more control is needed | 7 or 14 mg; max 14 mg | Tablet, same rules as the Ozempic pill | 4 5 |
| Zepbound (tirzepatide) | 2.5 mg weekly for 4 weeks | 5 mg, then 2.5 mg steps after at least 4 weeks each | 5, 10 or 15 mg; max 15 mg | Injection, once a week, any time, with or without meals | 6 |
| Mounjaro (tirzepatide) | 2.5 mg weekly | 2.5 mg steps after at least 4 weeks each | max 15 mg (adults), 10 mg (children) | Injection, once a week, any time, with or without meals | 7 |
| Foundayo (orforglipron) | 0.8 mg daily for at least 30 days | 2.5 mg, 5.5 mg, then 9, 14.5 or 17.2 mg, at least 30 days each | max 17.2 mg daily | Tablet, once a day, with or without food | 8 |
Read the table as the fastest path the label allows, not a timetable you must keep. Every label leaves room to go slower, and most tie the next step to how you respond or how well you tolerate the current dose. Wegovy's label tells prescribers to "consider delaying dosage escalation for 4 weeks" when a dose is not tolerated.1 Foundayo's moves to 9 mg and above "based on treatment response and tolerability".8 Ozempic, Rybelsus and Mounjaro step up only "if additional glycemic control is needed".347
Weekly injections: Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound, Mounjaro
Semaglutide shots: Wegovy pen and Ozempic pen
Both start at 0.25 mg once a week for four weeks, and both go to 0.5 mg next. After that they split. Wegovy's Table 1 runs 1 mg in weeks 9 to 12 and 1.7 mg in weeks 13 to 16, then a maintenance dose from week 17.1 For weight loss in adults that maintenance dose is 1.7 or 2.4 mg, with 2.4 mg marked as recommended, and the label adds a top rung that older charts miss:
For patients who tolerate the 2.4 mg dosage for at least 4 weeks and additional weight reduction is clinically indicated, the dosage may be increased to a maximum dosage of 7.2 mg subcutaneously once weekly.
Wegovy prescribing information, section 2.2
Novo sells that dose as Wegovy HD.9 Ozempic, a type 2 diabetes drug, has a shorter ladder: 0.5, 1 or 2 mg as maintenance, chosen on blood sugar, with 2 mg the maximum and at least four weeks between steps.3 So the two semaglutide pens share their first two rungs and then part ways, Ozempic topping out at 2 mg and Wegovy at 7.2 mg.
The deeper pages: the Wegovy dosing chart covers the pen, the 7.2 mg step and what each rung costs; the Ozempic dosage chart covers the clicks-per-pen question and the diabetes ladder; the semaglutide dosage chart covers compounded vials and units.
Tirzepatide shots: Zepbound and Mounjaro
Same molecule, same strengths, two labels. Zepbound, the weight-loss brand, starts at 2.5 mg for four weeks, then 5 mg, then 2.5 mg increments with at least four weeks on each.6 Its label is blunt about the first rung:
The 2.5 mg dosage is for treatment initiation and is not approved as a maintenance dosage.
Zepbound prescribing information, section 2.1
For weight, Zepbound names 5, 10 and 15 mg as maintenance doses, and 15 mg is the ceiling for every use.6 Mounjaro, the diabetes brand, uses the same 2.5 mg start and the same 2.5 mg steps after at least four weeks, climbing only when blood sugar needs it, to 15 mg in adults and 10 mg in children.7
More detail: the Zepbound dosage chart has the trial result at each dose and the vial concentrations; the Mounjaro dosage chart covers the diabetes ladder; the tirzepatide dosage chart covers compounded vials.
Daily pills: Wegovy pill, Ozempic pill, Rybelsus, Foundayo
Wegovy pill
Four strengths, one a month: 1.5 mg for days 1 to 30, 4 mg for days 31 to 60, 9 mg for days 61 to 90, and 25 mg from day 91 on, which is the maintenance dose.2 The pill has strict rules. Take it in the morning on an empty stomach "with water (up to 4 ounces)", nothing else to drink, and "wait at least 30 minutes before eating food, drinking beverages" or taking other pills by mouth.2 The 25 mg pill and the 2.4 mg pen are the pair the label lets you swap between; see the switching section below.
Ozempic pill, and why Rybelsus is on its way out
Novo Nordisk's own patient site now says it plainly: "RYBELSUS® is being replaced by Ozempic® pill."5 Both are semaglutide tablets for type 2 diabetes, and they share one label. The Ozempic pill runs 1.5 mg for the first 30 days, then 4 mg, then 9 mg if more blood-sugar control is needed. Rybelsus runs 3 mg, then 7 mg, then 14 mg on the same 30-day rhythm.4 The label says the starting dose of each "is not effective for glycemic control": it is there for your stomach, not your sugar.4
The two tablets are not the same milligrams. The label is explicit:
RYBELSUS and OZEMPIC tablets are not substitutable on a mg-to-mg basis.
Rybelsus and Ozempic tablets prescribing information, section 2.1
Its switching table pairs Rybelsus 7 mg with Ozempic pill 4 mg, and Rybelsus 14 mg with Ozempic pill 9 mg, and says not to switch during the first 30 days.4 NovoCare lines the three strengths up the same way, 1.5, 4 and 9 mg against 3, 7 and 14 mg, and says moving over takes a new prescription.5 If you are on Rybelsus today, the Rybelsus coupon guide covers what happens to your savings offer.
Foundayo (orforglipron)
Lilly's pill is a different molecule, orforglipron, and its label sets six strengths, more than any other pill on this chart. Start at 0.8 mg once a day for at least 30 days, then 2.5 mg, then 5.5 mg, each after at least 30 days; from there it may go to 9, 14.5 or 17.2 mg, one rung per 30 days at least, based on response and tolerability.8 17.2 mg is the maximum. It is also the one pill without the empty-stomach rule: "Take FOUNDAYO orally once daily, with or without food."8 The Foundayo guide covers who it is for and the Foundayo vs Wegovy pill page puts the two weight-loss pills against each other.
Semaglutide vs tirzepatide vs orforglipron: there is no conversion chart
This is the question behind "semaglutide vs tirzepatide dose chart", and the honest answer is that no FDA label publishes one. We read all six labels behind this page. Each describes its own molecule. None tells you which tirzepatide dose matches a given semaglutide dose, or which Foundayo strength matches either. A chart that pairs a semaglutide dose with a tirzepatide dose is somebody's estimate, not the label's.
What the labels do map are switches inside one molecule, and even those are narrow:
| Switch | What the label says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Wegovy pen to Wegovy pill | From the 2.4 mg pen, start the 25 mg pill one week after the last injection | 2 |
| Wegovy pill to Wegovy pen | If 25 mg tablets are not tolerated, consider the 1.7 mg injection | 2 |
| Ozempic pen to Ozempic pill | From the 0.5 mg pen, start 4 or 9 mg tablets one week after the last injection | 4 |
| Rybelsus to Ozempic pill | 7 mg pairs with 4 mg; 14 mg pairs with 9 mg; not during the first 30 days | 4 |
Two things stand out. The pairs are not equal milligrams: a 2.4 mg weekly shot maps to a 25 mg daily pill. The labels state the pairs; they give no formula you could apply anywhere else. And no row crosses molecules. Moving from semaglutide to tirzepatide, or to orforglipron, is a new prescription with a dose your prescriber picks; the label of the new drug gives its own starting dose, and that is the only official number in the move. The tirzepatide vs semaglutide page compares the two molecules on results and side effects rather than milligrams.
Missed a dose: what each label says
| Drug | Label rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Wegovy pen | Take it if the next dose is more than 2 days away; otherwise skip. Two or more missed in a row: restart the climb at a lower dose | 1 |
| Ozempic pen | Take it within 5 days; after that, skip to the usual day | 3 |
| Zepbound, Mounjaro | Take it within 4 days (96 hours); after that, skip to the usual day | 6 7 |
| Wegovy pill, Ozempic pill, Rybelsus | Skip it and take the next tablet the following day | 2 4 |
| Foundayo | Take it as soon as possible, never two at once; 7 or more missed in a row: restart lower | 8 |
The windows differ by drug, so a rule remembered from one brand can be wrong for the next. Two missed Wegovy shots or a week of missed Foundayo means stepping back down the ladder, which is why both labels say so in writing.18
What each dose step costs
This section is about paying cash, where the dose often changes the bill, because Lilly and Novo Nordisk price some products by strength. Here is each maker's own self-pay figure at the first rung and at the top rung, next to the cheapest program on our board today for the same bracket:
| Drug | Maker self-pay, first rung | Maker self-pay, top rung | Lowest on our board today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wegovy pen | NovoCare $199 for 0.25 and 0.5 mg, a new patient's first two fills | NovoCare $349 up to 2.4 mg; $399 for 7.2 mg | $208 |
| Wegovy pill | NovoCare $149 for 1.5 mg | NovoCare $299 for 9 and 25 mg | $208 |
| Ozempic pen | NovoCare $199 for 0.25 and 0.5 mg, a new patient's first two fills | NovoCare $499 for 2 mg | not tracked on our board |
| Zepbound | Lilly $299 for 2.5 mg | Lilly $699 for 10 to 15 mg; $449 on the KwikPen offer | $358 |
| Foundayo | Lilly $149 for 0.8 mg | Lilly $349 for 14.5 and 17.2 mg; $299 on the purchase offer | $208 |
| Compounded semaglutide | no maker price | no maker price | $69 |
| Compounded tirzepatide | no maker price | no maker price | $119 |
Sources for the maker columns: NovoCare's pharmacy page for Wegovy and Ozempic,9 Lilly's Zepbound pricing page and KwikPen terms,1011 and Lilly's Foundayo terms.12 The fine print matters on three rows. NovoCare's $199 Wegovy and Ozempic pen price covers 0.25 and 0.5 mg for two fills through December 31, 2026, then moves to $349.9 Lilly's $449 Zepbound KwikPen price covers 7.5 mg and up and holds only while each refill lands within 45 days of the last delivery.11 Lilly's Foundayo 2.5 mg is temporarily $149 and 5.5 mg $199 through December 31, 2026, and the 14.5 and 17.2 mg strengths are $299 under a purchase offer that also needs refills within 45 days.12 The Ozempic pill and Rybelsus are diabetes tablets; NovoCare says the Ozempic pill's "self-pay pricing varies by dose" without a full ladder on that page,9 and Mounjaro has no bracket on our board, so both are left out.
Where the maker ladder climbs, the top rung is the one you will pay for longest. On Zepbound, the cheapest Zepbound program on our board today comes in under Lilly's own KwikPen price for the maintenance doses. The full board for every GLP-1 we track, with the date each price was checked:
Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide: from milligrams to units
Compounded versions have no FDA label of their own, so your prescriber sets the milligram ladder. The risk sits in the conversion from milligrams to the units on your syringe, because each pharmacy picks its own concentration. FDA has received reports of adverse events, some needing hospital care, tied to "patients measuring and self-administering incorrect doses" and to clinicians "miscalculating doses".13 The fix is arithmetic plus one check: units = (mg ÷ the vial's mg per mL) × 100, and ask the pharmacy to print the units for your dose on the label. The mg-to-units calculator does the sum for any vial.
How to use this chart
Find your drug's row, then check three things against your prescription: the starting dose, the gap between steps, and where your prescriber plans to stop. If your plan climbs faster than the label's minimum gap, or starts above the label's first rung, ask why; there can be a reason, and it should be one you heard. If you are moving between drugs, the label of the new drug sets its own first dose, and no chart can translate milligrams across molecules for you. For the deeper per-drug detail, use the six linked charts; for price, the board above is checked against each seller's own page.
