Tirzepatide: doses reported in published research

Sources checked 2026-10-07 · 4 cited studies (4 human, 0 animal, 0 cell culture)

Tirzepatide is a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist. In the US it is approved only as the prescription drugs MOUNJARO and ZEPBOUND. The doses below come from the FDA labels and published pivotal trials.

Human data: extensive (FDA labels and large phase 3 trials). These describe prescription use under medical supervision.

Studies in people (4)

Human FDA label, MOUNJARO (tirzepatide): adults with type 2 diabetes

Dose as reported: Starts at 2.5 mg; increased in 2.5 mg steps after at least 4 weeks; adult maximum 15 mg
Route: Subcutaneous
Frequency / duration: Once weekly

Source wording: The recommended starting dosage of MOUNJARO is 2.5 mg injected subcutaneously once weekly increase the dosage in 2.5 mg increments after at least 4 weeks on the current dose. The maximum dosage of MOUNJARO is: 15 mg injected subcutaneously once weekly in adults.

FDA-approved prescribing information, MOUNJARO, DailyMed label version 40 (effective 2026-08-27). DailyMed ↗

Human FDA label, ZEPBOUND (tirzepatide): weight reduction and obstructive sleep apnea

Dose as reported: Starts at 2.5 mg for 4 weeks, increased in 2.5 mg steps; maintenance 5, 10 or 15 mg (10 or 15 mg for sleep apnea); maximum 15 mg
Route: Subcutaneous
Frequency / duration: Once weekly

Source wording: g dosage is 2.5 mg injected subcutaneously once weekly for 4 weeks. Increase the dosage in 2.5 mg increments after at least 4 weeks until recommended maintenance dosage is achieved. Weight Reduction and Long-Term Maintenance: 5 mg, 10 mg, or 15 mg injected subcutaneously once weekly. Obstructive Sleep Apnea: 10 mg or 15 mg injected subcutaneously once weekly. Maximum Recommended Dosage: 15 mg injected subcutaneously once weekly.

FDA-approved prescribing information, ZEPBOUND, DailyMed label version 40 (effective 2026-08-28). DailyMed ↗

Human 2539 adults with BMI 30 or more (or 27 or more with a weight-related complication), without diabetes; phase 3 randomized double-blind trial (SURMOUNT-1)

Dose as reported: 5, 10 or 15 mg (separate groups)
Route: Subcutaneous
Frequency / duration: Once weekly for 72 weeks, including a 20-week dose-escalation period

Source wording: we assigned 2539 adults to receive once-weekly, subcutaneous tirzepatide (5 mg, 10 mg, or 15 mg) or placebo for 72 weeks, including a 20-week dose-escalation period.

Jastreboff AM, Aronne LJ, Ahmad NN et al.. Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity. N Engl J Med 2022. PubMed PMID 35658024 ↗

Human 478 adults with type 2 diabetes, phase 3 randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial (SURPASS-1)

Dose as reported: 5, 10 or 15 mg (separate groups)
Route: Not stated in the abstract
Frequency / duration: Once a week for 40 weeks

Source wording: Participants were randomly assigned (1:1:1:1) via computer-generated random sequence to once a week tirzepatide (5, 10, or 15 mg), or placebo. We did a 40-week, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial (SURPASS-1)

Rosenstock J, Wysham C, Frías JP et al.. Efficacy and safety of a novel dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist tirzepatide in patients with type 2 diabetes (SURPASS-1): a double-blind, randomised, phase 3 trial. Lancet 2021. PubMed PMID 34186022 ↗

Half-life

Human Approximately 5 days (FDA labels, MOUNJARO and ZEPBOUND). Source wording: taking into account the half-life of tirzepatide of approximately 5 days.
FDA-approved prescribing information, MOUNJARO, DailyMed label version 40 (effective 2026-08-27). DailyMed ↗

About this page

Every figure above is copied from the cited source; the source wording is shown with each entry. Where a source does not state something, the page says so.
Only abstracts, open-access full texts, registry records and FDA labels were used, so details found only in a paywalled full text may be missing.
This page does not convert doses between species or into other measures, and gives no preparation or handling information.