Wegovy vs Mounjaro Dosing: How the Two Schedules Actually Differ

The decision you're actually making about dosing

People comparing Wegovy and Mounjaro dosing are usually asking one of three practical questions: which reaches an effective dose faster, which has more flexibility in where it tops out, and which is easier to manage long term. These are reasonable things to want to know before starting treatment. The dosing schedule is not just a technical detail, it affects how quickly side effects settle, how long before meaningful appetite reduction kicks in, and what your prescriber can adjust if you hit a rough patch.

Neither schedule is universally better. The right one depends on your health history, what weight-related conditions you have, and how your body responds, all things a prescriber works through with you. What the schedules look like on paper is a starting point for that conversation, not the whole answer. Our full Wegovy vs Mounjaro comparison covers efficacy, licensing and side effects alongside the dosing picture.

Both medicines are prescription-only. A prescriber, not a checklist, decides which is suitable and at what pace titration should move.

How the Mounjaro dose ladder works

Mounjaro (tirzepatide) starts at 2.5 mg. That opening dose exists primarily to settle your system rather than to drive weight loss, nausea and other gastrointestinal effects are most likely to appear early, so a tolerability period makes sense. From 2.5 mg, the schedule typically steps up in 2.5 mg increments roughly every four weeks, moving through 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5 and up to the maximum of 15 mg. Six possible dose levels in total.

That range gives prescribers meaningful room to find the dose that balances results against tolerability for each individual. Some people respond well at a middle dose and stay there; others titrate to the ceiling. According to the SURMOUNT-1 trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, average body-weight reductions at 15 mg were around 20–21% over 72 weeks, with thousands of adults enrolled in the study.

Mounjaro is a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist, the only medicine of that type licensed for weight management in the UK. Titration timing and how far to go are always set by the prescriber, taking into account how each step has been tolerated. If you are thinking about moving from semaglutide to tirzepatide, dosing the switch correctly is a clinical conversation, not a direct swap.

How the Wegovy dose ladder works, including the 7.2 mg option

Wegovy (semaglutide) starts at 0.25 mg and moves through 0.5, 1.0 and 1.7 mg before reaching the standard 2.4 mg maintenance dose, each step roughly four weeks apart. Five rungs in total before the standard ceiling, compared to six for Mounjaro. The increments are smaller in absolute terms, which reflects both the mechanism and the dosing units involved, these are different molecules, so the numbers do not map directly onto each other.

There is now a sixth option. On 14 April 2026, the MHRA approved a dedicated single-dose 7.2 mg Wegovy pen, confirmed in a GOV.UK announcement. This higher maintenance dose is licensed for adults with a BMI of 30 or above and adds a further step for those who do not achieve sufficient response at 2.4 mg. Trials at 7.2 mg reported average weight loss of around 20.7% over 72 weeks, which narrows the gap with tirzepatide's headline results considerably. Titration still begins at 0.25 mg, rising to 7.2 mg under prescriber guidance.

NICE recommends Wegovy under specific criteria set out in technology appraisal TA875, including use within a specialist weight management service and a two-year treatment limit. Private treatment through a regulated pharmacy follows the licensed schedule, with clinical review before every repeat order.

Putting the two schedules side by side

A clean comparison helps make the picture concrete. The table below summarises the key dosing parameters for each medicine; every figure is drawn from the licensed SmPCs and NICE guidance.

Which schedule suits you depends on factors the table cannot capture. The SURMOUNT-5 head-to-head trial (published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 2025) found tirzepatide produced greater average weight reduction than semaglutide 2.4 mg over 72 weeks in adults with obesity, but the 7.2 mg Wegovy dose narrows that difference, and individual response varies. If you are weighing up whether Mounjaro or a semaglutide-based treatment is likely to work better for you, that question is worth reading through before your consultation. If cost is part of your thinking, our page on why Wegovy is typically priced lower than Mounjaro explains the background. Which one suits you is a clinical decision our prescribers make with you, not one a comparison table can make for you.

One practical note: it is worth knowing that some patients set a reminder on their phone for the same time each week, often after the school run or another fixed point in their routine, so the injection never gets lost in the week. Consistency with timing helps, and if your circumstances change and you are considering moving from Mounjaro to Wegovy, your prescriber or aftercare team can advise on how to manage that transition safely.

To explore your options with a clinician, you can start a free consultation with our prescribers today. If you want to read more broadly first, our guide to choosing between Wegovy and Mounjaro covers the wider picture.