Free tool
GLP-1 Titration Schedule Calculator: Earliest Step-Up Dates
Enter the date you started your current dose, and this GLP‑1 titration schedule calculator gives the earliest date for each later step on the tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound), Ozempic or Wegovy ladder. Every label keeps you on a dose for at least 4 weeks before the next increase, so each step lands at least 28 days after the one before (Zepbound prescribing information, section 2.1).
Which dose are you on now?Choose your medicine first, and its dose steps show here.
Next step
Add your dose and the day you started it to see your next step.
Choose your medicine, the dose you are on and when you started it to see your next step.
How to use this calculator
- Choose the ladder: tirzepatide (Mounjaro or Zepbound), Ozempic or Wegovy.
- Choose the dose you are on now and the date of your first shot at it.
- Read the earliest date for your next step, on your own shot day, and the countdown to it. Add a 4-week hold if you are staying on this dose longer.
- To weigh staying against stepping up, add when you started treatment, your weight then and today, and the monthly price of each dose. The planner shows your loss against the trial curve for your dose (SURMOUNT-1 for tirzepatide, STEP 1 for semaglutide) and what the next step costs.
- For pens, the planner says when the next carton needs to arrive; for a vial, add its strength to see the units for every step. Add the step dates to your calendar or keep the link.
Later steps show the first date the label allows, and each falls on the same weekday as your first shot at your current dose. Your choices are saved in the page address, so a bookmark brings the same plan back.
How the dates are worked out
The planner adds 28 days for each step between your current dose and the one you are looking at: earliest date = the start date of your current dose + 28 days × the number of steps ahead. Counted from your very first injection, with the starting dose as step 0, step n can begin in week 4 × n + 1.
Say you started tirzepatide 5 mg on September 1, 2026. The 7.5 mg step is one step ahead, so its earliest date is September 1 + 28 days = September 29, 2026. The 15 mg step is four steps ahead, which gives September 1 + 112 days = December 22, 2026. Each row of the table adds another 28 days.
| Dose (mg) | Steps ahead of 5 mg | Earliest date |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | September 1, 2026 (started) |
| 7.5 | 1 | September 29, 2026 |
| 10 | 2 | October 27, 2026 |
| 12.5 | 3 | November 24, 2026 |
| 15 | 4 | December 22, 2026 |
The ladders in the planner
Each row follows the US prescribing information for Zepbound and Mounjaro (section 2), Ozempic (section 2.2) and Wegovy (section 2.2, Table 1).
| Ladder | Dose steps (mg) | Earliest week on the top dose | Label maintenance doses (mg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) | 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, 15 | Week 21 (15 mg) | Zepbound: 5, 10 or 15; maximum 15 |
| Ozempic (semaglutide) | 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2 | Week 13 (2 mg) | 0.5, 1 or 2; maximum 2 |
| Wegovy (semaglutide) | 0.25, 0.5, 1, 1.7, 2.4, 7.2 | Week 17 (2.4 mg), week 21 (7.2 mg) | 1.7 or 2.4; up to 7.2 |
The Zepbound label reserves 2.5 mg for starting treatment and does not approve it as a maintenance dose, and neither semaglutide label lists 0.25 mg among its maintenance doses. The US Mounjaro label makes every increase conditional on needing more glucose control, and its maximum for children aged 10 and over with type 2 diabetes is 10 mg; the planner uses the adult ladder. Ozempic increases beyond 0.5 mg carry the same glucose-control condition, except in type 2 diabetes with chronic kidney disease, where 1 mg is the maintenance dose (Ozempic prescribing information, section 2.2). Ozempic stops at 2 mg, and 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg are Wegovy steps.
Wegovy 7.2 mg (Wegovy HD) is for adults who have tolerated 2.4 mg for at least 4 weeks when more weight reduction is clinically indicated, so the earliest it can start is week 21 (Wegovy prescribing information, section 2.2). The approval and the trial behind it are in the GLP‑1 dose chart.
UK labels use the same steps and the same 4-week holds for Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy (SmPC section 4.2). The UK Wegovy SmPC treats 1.7 mg as an escalation step only, with 2.4 mg as the maintenance dose. Its 7.2 mg dose is for adults with obesity and can be given as one 7.2 mg injection or as three 2.4 mg injections, one after the other.
Why the planner shows the earliest dates
All four US labels give the slow climb the same purpose, lowering the risk of stomach side effects (Wegovy prescribing information, section 2.2). If a dose is not tolerated, the US Wegovy label says to consider delaying the next step by 4 weeks, and the UK SmPC also allows a drop back to the previous dose until symptoms improve (Wegovy SmPC, section 4.2). The Zepbound label asks prescribers to weigh response and tolerability when choosing the maintenance dose, and the US Zepbound and Wegovy labels both offer lower maintenance doses: 5 or 10 mg of Zepbound, 1.7 mg of Wegovy.
Four weeks is also about how long a new dose takes to settle. On a new tirzepatide dose, levels reach steady state after 4 weeks (Zepbound prescribing information, section 12.3), and semaglutide after 4 to 5 weeks (Ozempic prescribing information, section 12.3). The GLP‑1 plotter draws that climb for each drug. What to expect when you increase your Ozempic dose describes how a step-up tends to feel on semaglutide, and the Zepbound dosage chart lists each tirzepatide dose.
Once each shot and its dose are logged in Pensday, the date you moved up a step is on record when you plan the next one.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can I skip a step on the titration ladder?
Not on any of these labels. Tirzepatide goes up one 2.5 mg step at a time and Wegovy follows the fixed sequence in Table 1 (Zepbound prescribing information, section 2.1), and each label gives stomach side effects as the reason for the gradual climb.
Is there a 2.4 mg dose of Ozempic?
No. The maximum Ozempic dose is 2 mg once weekly (Ozempic prescribing information, section 2.2). The 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg steps belong to Wegovy, which is why the planner keeps Ozempic and Wegovy as separate ladders.
Why does the planner use one ladder for Mounjaro and Zepbound?
Both are tirzepatide, and for adults both labels climb from 2.5 mg to 15 mg in 2.5 mg steps held at least 4 weeks (Mounjaro prescribing information, section 2.1). Only the US Mounjaro label makes each increase depend on needing more glucose control.
What if I stayed on a dose longer than 4 weeks?
Enter the date you actually started your current dose. The planner counts forward from that date, so every later step moves by the same number of days. Holding longer is within the labels, and the US Wegovy label suggests a 4-week delay when a step is not tolerated (Wegovy prescribing information, section 2.2).
Does a missed dose change my step-up dates?
The labels count each hold in weeks, and after a single late or skipped dose they say to resume your regular weekly schedule (Zepbound prescribing information, section 2.3). After 2 or more missed doses in a row, the US Wegovy label says to restart the escalation at a lower dose (Wegovy prescribing information, section 2.4). For one late shot, the missed dose guide gives the take-or-skip answer.
Sources
- Zepbound (tirzepatide) injection, prescribing information, revised August 2026. Eli Lilly and Company, 2026.
- Mounjaro (tirzepatide) injection, prescribing information, revised August 2026. Eli Lilly and Company, 2026.
- Ozempic (semaglutide) injection, prescribing information, revised May 2026. Novo Nordisk, 2026.
- Wegovy (semaglutide) injection and tablets, prescribing information, revised June 2026. Novo Nordisk, 2026.
- Mounjaro KwikPen solution for injection in pre-filled pen, Summary of Product Characteristics. Eli Lilly and Company Limited, 2026.
- Ozempic solution for injection in pre-filled pen, Summary of Product Characteristics. Novo Nordisk Limited, 2026.
- Wegovy FlexTouch solution for injection in pre-filled pen, Summary of Product Characteristics. Novo Nordisk Limited, 2026.
- Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity (SURMOUNT-1). New England Journal of Medicine, 2022.
- Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity (STEP 1). New England Journal of Medicine, 2021.
Results are estimates from the published figures in these sources. They are not a measurement or medical advice.
Pensday is a tracking app. It does not give medical advice; talk to your prescriber about your dose.
Pensday is not affiliated with Novo Nordisk or Eli Lilly. Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Saxenda and Victoza are trademarks of Novo Nordisk A/S. Mounjaro, Zepbound and Trulicity are trademarks of Eli Lilly and Company.
Related reading
Related tools
Pensday for iPhone and Android
Pensday remembers every step.
Weight and side effects grouped by dose, so you see what each step did.
