Tirzepatide dosage chart
Tirzepatide is taken as a once-weekly injection, and the dose usually starts low and steps up over time. Here is the full dose schedule in one place: the six weekly dose levels, the typical timing from FDA labeling, and the honest part most pages skip, which is that your real schedule is set by a provider and may move slower than the chart.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Pat Taylor, Board-certified physicianReviewed June 2026
| Dose level | Weekly dose | Typical timing |
|---|---|---|
| Dose 1 | 2.5 mg | Starting dose for about the first 4 weeks. Used to begin treatment, not as a long-term maintenance dose. |
| Dose 2 | 5 mg | Typical first maintenance dose, usually after 4 weeks at 2.5 mg. |
| Dose 3 | 7.5 mg | An optional step up after at least 4 weeks on 5 mg, if needed and tolerated. |
| Dose 4 | 10 mg | An optional step up after at least 4 weeks on 7.5 mg, if needed and tolerated. |
| Dose 5 | 12.5 mg | An optional step up after at least 4 weeks on 10 mg, if needed and tolerated. |
| Dose 6 | 15 mg | The maximum once-weekly dose. Reached only if needed and tolerated. |
At Crossing your price is $149 at every dose. The increasing-dose plan is included, billed monthly, cancel anytime.
How the tirzepatide dose schedule works
Tirzepatide is given as a weekly subcutaneous injection, and almost no one starts at a full dose. The standard approach is to begin low and raise the dose gradually. Clinicians often call stepping the dose up “titration”, but on this page we will keep it plain and call it the increasing-dose plan. The point of going slow is to give your body time to adjust and to keep side effects manageable.
According to FDA prescribing information for tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound), the general pattern looks like this:
- Start at 2.5 mg once weekly for the first 4 weeks. This is an initiation dose, not a maintenance dose.
- Increase to 5 mg once weekly after those first 4 weeks.
- If more is needed, step up in 2.5 mg increments after at least 4 weeks on the current dose.
- Continue, as needed and tolerated, up to a maximum of 15 mg once weekly.
That is the textbook version. In practice the schedule is individualized. A provider may keep you on a dose longer, move up more slowly, or hold steady once you are doing well. None of that means anything is wrong. The dose plan exists to fit you, not the other way around.
Why the dose increases at all
Lower doses to start
The 2.5 mg starting dose is about getting your body used to the medication, which is why it is not considered a long-term maintenance dose on its own. Most of the appetite and weight effects people are after show up at the higher maintenance doses, which is the reason the plan steps upward over weeks rather than staying flat.
Higher doses, managed carefully
Going up too fast is the main thing that drives nausea and other digestive side effects. The 4-week minimum between increases in the FDA pattern is a built-in pace. Your provider can slow it down further if you need that. The goal is the lowest dose that works well for you, not the highest number on the chart. To understand what changing doses can mean for results, see how much weight you can lose on tirzepatide, and for the science of why it works, read how tirzepatide works.
What you get at Crossing
The dose changes. The price does not. At Crossing you pay one flat $149 a month, every dose, all in, and the increasing-dose plan is part of that, with no dose-based upcharge. Your medication is compounded with vitamin B6 at BPI Labs, an FDA-registered 503B facility in Largo, Florida that operates under cGMP standards, and it is dispensed by The Pharmacy Hub, a licensed 503A pharmacy. It ships as a multi-dose vial for weekly subcutaneous injection.
Getting started is a roughly 10-minute online visit. A provider licensed in your state reviews your information, and if tirzepatide is appropriate it ships to you. It is prescription-only, so there is no buying it off a shelf. If you want the full pricing breakdown, see what tirzepatide costs, or read more about the medication itself.
At Crossing your price is $149 at every dose. The increasing-dose plan is included, billed monthly, cancel anytime.
Common questions about tirzepatide dosing
What are the tirzepatide dose levels?
There are six recognized once-weekly tirzepatide dose levels: 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, and 15 mg. The 2.5 mg dose is used to start treatment and is not intended as a long-term maintenance dose. The maximum is 15 mg once weekly. Your actual dose is set by a licensed provider.
How fast does the tirzepatide dose increase?
Under FDA prescribing information for tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound), the general pattern is 2.5 mg once weekly for 4 weeks, then 5 mg, then increases in 2.5 mg steps after at least 4 weeks on the current dose, as needed and tolerated, up to 15 mg. Many people move slower than this to manage side effects. Your provider decides the pace based on how you respond.
Does my dose change my price at Crossing?
No. Crossing is one flat $149 a month at every dose. Whether you are on 2.5 mg or 15 mg, the price is the same. The increasing-dose plan is included, billed monthly, and you can cancel anytime.
Can I increase my own tirzepatide dose?
No. Tirzepatide is prescription-only and your dose schedule is directed by a licensed provider based on your health history and response. This chart is general education, not instructions to change your own dose. Talk to your provider about any change.
This article is for general education and is not medical advice. Your dose is set by a licensed provider based on your health history and response. Compounded tirzepatide is prescription-only. See our medical disclaimer.