The Mounjaro dosing table explained: every strength and what it means for your treatment

What the six-rung schedule is actually built around

The Mounjaro dosing table is not a ladder you climb as fast as possible. Each of the six strengths (2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg and 15 mg) was positioned in the schedule for a reason grounded in the clinical trial programme. The tirzepatide data, including the SURMOUNT-1 trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that meaningful weight reduction builds over weeks and months, not days; the dose schedule reflects that biology.

The first four weeks at 2.5 mg are a calibration period. Tirzepatide activates both GIP and GLP-1 receptors, which slows gastric emptying and reduces appetite. Starting gently reduces the chance of nausea or digestive discomfort overwhelming someone before their body adjusts. Many people feel very little effect at 2.5 mg in terms of weight change, and that is exactly what the schedule intends. The therapeutic work begins at higher doses once tolerance is established.

From 5 mg onward, each step typically lasts a minimum of four weeks. A prescriber considers whether you have tolerated the current dose without significant ongoing side effects, and whether there is clinical reason to continue increasing. Not everyone reaches 15 mg. The highest tolerated dose that achieves your treatment goals is the right dose — and that judgement belongs to your prescriber, not the table itself. You can read more about how tirzepatide works as a Mounjaro treatment overview to put the schedule in broader context.

Side effects at dose transitions: what the table does not print

One thing the dosing table cannot show is the timing of side effects. Nausea, loose stools, indigestion and fatigue are most common in the days immediately after starting or increasing a dose. For most people they ease within one to two weeks as the body adjusts. That pattern repeats, in milder form, at each step up.

The NHS medicines page for tirzepatide lists the full side-effect profile, including less common reactions. Pancreatitis is rare but serious: the MHRA has flagged severe or persistent abdominal pain radiating to the back as a reason to seek urgent medical help, not to wait for your next review. Gallbladder symptoms, signs of dehydration from prolonged vomiting, and any allergic reaction also warrant prompt attention.

Knowing the schedule helps here. If you are on 5 mg and side effects feel unmanageable, the conversation with your prescriber is about whether to slow the pace of titration or hold the current dose longer, not about stopping altogether. Some patients spend eight or twelve weeks at one strength before moving forward. The table gives the minimum interval; your clinical team determines the actual one. Our frequently asked questions page covers some of the most common queries around managing early side effects.

How your prescriber decides whether to increase, hold or stay

Each time you come back for a repeat prescription, the prescriber is effectively re-reading the dosing table with your individual history. Three questions shape the decision: Has this dose been tolerated reasonably well? Has weight response been meaningful? Are there any new clinical factors (a change in other medications, a planned procedure, a shift in a health marker) that change the picture?

Women using oral contraceptives should know that tirzepatide can reduce pill absorption during the first four weeks of treatment and for four weeks after each dose increase. Adding a non-oral method of contraception during those windows is the guidance from NHS sources, and it is the kind of detail that only surfaces through a proper prescriber review rather than a quick self-assessment. If you are thinking about which product or format might suit your circumstances, the question of whether Mounjaro comes in a tablet form is one we cover separately, because the answer affects how people plan their routine. For those who have already looked into this and want a closer look at the range of Mounjaro tablets available, we cover the options in detail on that page.

Storing the pen correctly also matters at every dose. The KwikPen is refrigerated at 2–8°C; keeping it in the fridge door, away from the freezer zone, is a practical habit many patients settle into quickly. The Patient Information Leaflet sets out the exact room-temperature window if you need it temporarily out of the fridge, for travel or otherwise, always check that rather than relying on a general estimate.

The table in context: private treatment and what it costs

Understanding the dosing structure also helps make sense of how treatment costs work over time. In the private market, Mounjaro is priced per pen per month, and the list price varies by strength. Eli Lilly raised UK list prices in September 2025, and the range across providers and doses has shifted considerably since then. Our page on what Mounjaro costs in the UK walks through the current pricing landscape honestly, including what a legitimate quoted price should include and what it sometimes leaves out.

At nume, treatment price is quoted as one transparent figure covering consultation, prescription, medicine and free next-working-day delivery. There are no subscription lock-ins. Every repeat order is reviewed individually by a prescriber before it is dispatched, which means the dosing table is applied with fresh clinical eyes each time rather than automatically rolled forward. If you want to understand exactly what you would be receiving before committing, our guide to what a Mounjaro tablet involves is a useful reference point. If you are already on treatment elsewhere and considering a transfer, our about page describes how we handle existing patients and the evidence checks involved.

The NICE appraisal of tirzepatide, TA1026, sets out the eligibility criteria for NHS-funded treatment and notes that treatment should be reviewed if less than 5% weight loss has occurred after six months at the highest tolerated dose. Private prescribing follows the same licensed parameters. When you are ready to see whether you meet the criteria, checking your eligibility through a free consultation is the natural next step.