Semaglutide Dosing Guide
A once-a-week injection with a fixed four-week step-up schedule set by the FDA label.
Semaglutide is the compound in Wegovy and Ozempic. Because it is an approved drug, the dosing is not a community guess — it is written on the FDA label, and the research-peptide world simply copies that schedule. The only community convention is how to mix a 10 mg vial so the doses come out to clean syringe units.
At a glance
- Typical dose
- Start 0.25 mg weekly; maintenance 2.4 mg weekly (1.7 mg alternative)
- How often
- Once a week, same day each week
- Route
- Subcutaneous — abdomen, thigh or upper arm
- Timing
- Any time of day, with or without food
- How long
- Continuous; each step lasts 4 weeks; 16 weeks to reach full dose
- Vial size
- 10 mg
How much
The weight-management schedule (Wegovy label) starts at 0.25 mg once a week and steps up every four weeks: 0.5 mg, then 1.0 mg, then 1.7 mg, then 2.4 mg. The 0.25 mg step is only for getting started, not a maintenance dose.
Maintenance is 2.4 mg a week. The label allows 1.7 mg as an alternative maintenance dose for people who do not tolerate 2.4 mg — so the practical maintenance range is 1.7–2.4 mg. (The Ozempic diabetes label tops out at 2 mg on a different schedule.)
| Step | Dose | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1–4 | 0.25 mg | 4 weeks (starter dose only) |
| Weeks 5–8 | 0.5 mg | 4 weeks |
| Weeks 9–12 | 1.0 mg | 4 weeks |
| Weeks 13–16 | 1.7 mg | 4 weeks |
| Week 17 on | 2.4 mg | Maintenance (1.7 mg if 2.4 mg is not tolerated) |
How often & when
Once a week, on the same day each week, at any time of day, with or without meals. If a step causes too much nausea, the label allows staying on it longer before moving up.
Missed dose rule from the label: if the next scheduled dose is more than 2 days away, take the missed dose as soon as you can; if it is 2 days away or less, skip it and resume on the usual day. The day of the week can be changed as long as at least 48 hours separate two doses. If several weeks are missed, restart at a lower step.
How long
Semaglutide is used continuously — there is no cycle. Every source, including the trials, reports that stopping leads to weight regain, so the schedule is designed to be maintained rather than run in courses. Community “cycling” ideas have no basis in the label or trials.
Mixing the vial
Doses below are for a standard U-100 insulin syringe (100 units = 1 mL). The formula: units = dose in mg ÷ concentration in mg/mL × 100. Bacteriostatic water is the usual diluent. A standard peptide vial holds about 3 mL of liquid at most — the store’s vials included — so every row below stays at or under 3 mL. Guides elsewhere that call for 4–5 mL will not fit.
| Vial | Water added | Concentration | Doses in units |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 mg | 2 mL | 5 mg/mL | 0.25 mg = 5 u · 0.5 mg = 10 u · 1.0 mg = 20 u · 1.7 mg = 34 u · 2.4 mg = 48 u |
| 10 mg | 3 mL | 3.33 mg/mL | 0.25 mg = 7.5 u · 0.5 mg = 15 u · 1.0 mg = 30 u · 2.4 mg = 72 u |
The 2 mL mix is the most-cited: every step lands on a whole number of units, and a vial covers four weeks at the 2.4 mg maintenance dose. More water makes the tiny starter doses easier to draw accurately; 3 mL is the most a standard vial holds.
How to reconstitute
Not sure how to mix the vial? Our free Reconstitution Calculator walks you through it: enter the vial size, how much bacteriostatic water you're adding and the amount you want per dose, pick your syringe, and it tells you exactly what mark to draw to, the concentration, and how many doses the vial holds — with a syringe diagram and a step-by-step worked example.
Practical tips
- Nausea, constipation and diarrhea are most common in the week after each step-up. Smaller meals, staying hydrated and avoiding rich or fatty food are the standard advice — and staying on a step longer is allowed.
- Rotate injection sites between abdomen, thigh and upper arm.
- Refrigerate the mixed vial (2–8 °C), do not shake it, and use it within about 28 days.
- The label carries a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors and warnings for pancreatitis and gallbladder disease — read it. This is a prescription drug when dispensed as Wegovy or Ozempic.
What the evidence looks like
Evidence level
High. Semaglutide is FDA-approved and the schedule above comes straight from the Wegovy prescribing information, backed by the STEP phase 3 trials. Only the vial-mixing figures are community convention.
For what the compound is and how it is studied — mechanism, research history and the primary literature — read the reference entry: Semaglutide.
Batch-tested with published COAs
Semaglutide on the store
Every vial is tested by an independent lab, with a batch-linked certificate of analysis you can check before you buy. This page is educational; purchasing happens on the store.
Common questions
What is the starting dose of semaglutide?
0.25 mg once a week for four weeks. It exists only to let the body adjust; the label says it is not an effective maintenance dose.
How many units is 2.4 mg?
48 units when 10 mg is mixed in 2 mL of bacteriostatic water (5 mg/mL).
What if I miss a dose?
Take it if the next dose is more than 2 days away; otherwise skip it. Never double up.
Sources
The figures above were compiled from the following pages. Where an FDA label exists it is listed first; the rest are vendor, clinic and community dosing references, which are not peer-reviewed.
- Wegovy prescribing information (Novo Nordisk) — Full titration schedule, 2.4 mg maintenance with 1.7 mg alternative, missed-dose rule, timing Open
- SeekPeptides — mixing a 10 mg semaglutide vial — 2 and 3 mL options with unit tables; use within 28 days Open