Available Doses of Mounjaro (Tirzepatide)
Mounjaro is available in five distinct doses: 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, and 15 mg, all administered as once-weekly subcutaneous injections. 1, 2
Dosing Structure
Starting Dose
- 2.5 mg once weekly is the initial dose for all patients, used for the first 4 weeks to minimize gastrointestinal side effects 1, 2
- This starting dose is not intended as a maintenance dose but rather as a tolerability-building phase 1
Maintenance Doses
The FDA-approved maintenance doses are:
Dose Escalation Protocol
Increase the dose by 2.5 mg increments every 4 weeks until reaching the target maintenance dose based on efficacy and tolerability 1
The standard titration schedule follows this pattern:
- Weeks 1-4: 2.5 mg weekly 1, 2
- Weeks 5-8: 5 mg weekly (after at least 4 weeks on 2.5 mg) 2
- Weeks 9-12: 10 mg weekly (after at least 4 weeks on 5 mg) 2
- Week 13+: 15 mg weekly (after at least 4 weeks on 10 mg) 2
Dose-Dependent Efficacy
Higher doses produce greater weight loss: the 15 mg dose achieves 20.9% weight reduction at 72 weeks compared to 15.0% with the 5 mg dose in non-diabetic patients with obesity 1, 3
For glycemic control in type 2 diabetes, all three maintenance doses (5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg) demonstrate superior efficacy compared to other GLP-1 receptor agonists, with mean HbA1c reductions of -2.01%, -2.24%, and -2.30% respectively 4
Formulation
Mounjaro comes as single-dose prefilled pens and single-dose vials for subcutaneous administration 5
The medication can be administered at any time of day, regardless of meals 2
Special Populations
No dose adjustment is required for mild to moderate renal impairment 1, 2
However, use caution when initiating or escalating doses in patients with renal impairment due to potential acute kidney injury risk from gastrointestinal side effects 1