Tirzepatide dosage, as the Zepbound label sets it

This guide reproduces the dosing section of the Zepbound (tirzepatide) prescribing information, revised August 2026, so you can check what a prescriber is following. It is reference material, not a recommendation; the schedule applies to the approved product only.

The schedule

Step	Weekly dose	Minimum time at this dose
Start	2.5 mg	4 weeks (not a maintenance dose)
Step 2	5 mg	4 weeks
Step 3	7.5 mg	4 weeks
Step 4	10 mg	4 weeks
Step 5	12.5 mg	4 weeks
Maximum	15 mg	Maintenance

The label lets the prescriber stop at 5, 10 or 15 mg as the maintenance dose for weight reduction, and at 10 or 15 mg for obstructive sleep apnea. If a maintenance dose is not tolerated, it suggests a lower one. The fastest route to 15 mg is therefore 20 weeks. Our Zepbound label schedule page shows the same steps with the label link.

Why the escalation is slow

Side effects, mainly nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, are concentrated in the weeks after each increase. The 4-week steps let them settle. Details and rates by dose: tirzepatide side effects.

What each maintenance dose achieved

In SURMOUNT-1, adults with obesity or overweight (average 105 kg at baseline) were treated for 72 weeks:

Dose	Average weight change	Lost ≥15% of body weight
Placebo	−3.1%	8.8%
5 mg	−15.0%	48.0%
10 mg	−19.5%	66.6%
15 mg	−20.9%	70.6%

Source: Zepbound label, Table 2, Study 1. In Study 2, in people who also had type 2 diabetes, results were smaller: −12.8% on 10 mg and −14.7% on 15 mg, versus −3.2% on placebo.

Practical points from the label

• Missed dose: take it within 4 days; after that, skip it. Keep at least 3 days between doses if you change your injection day.
• Where: under the skin of the abdomen or thigh, or the back of the upper arm if someone else injects. Any time of day, with or without food.
• Vials: use a new syringe and needle every time; a 1 mL syringe that can measure 0.5 or 0.6 mL is the example given.
• Oral contraceptives: use a non-oral or barrier method for 4 weeks after starting and after each increase, because tirzepatide slows stomach emptying.
• Do not combine with another tirzepatide product or any GLP-1 drug.

Compounded and research tirzepatide

The label doses assume a manufactured pen or vial whose content is verified. Compounded products, oral “tirzepatide” and research vials are not FDA-approved, and their concentration has to be calculated from whatever the seller states. If you are checking arithmetic, the tirzepatide units converter does the conversion; it does not make an unapproved product equivalent. Compare published vendor prices on the tirzepatide price page.