Are you thinking about starting Mounjaro? With so much information online, it can be tough to get a sense of what it’s actually like to use it.
But by exploring your options, we want to reassure you that you’re on the right track. While moving more and eating healthier will help with weight loss, it can be challenging to reach your goals via these strategies alone.
That’s why medicines like Mounjaro or Wegovy are in such high demand. While on their own, lifestyle changes may result in losses of up to 10% body weight, people supplementing this with Mounjaro have reported losing around 20%.
To help you make your decision, we’ve broken down what you need to know about Mounjaro dosing below.
Mounjaro dosage chart
Understanding Mounjaro doses, and its dosing schedule
If you were new to weightlifting, you wouldn’t walk into the gym and pick up the heaviest dumbbell right away. Instead, you’d start on something lighter, and increase the load gradually.
The same principle applies to dosing for Mounjaro, a weekly injection that works by making you feel full. You first take a small amount to give your body time to adjust to the new medicine, before eventually moving on to higher strengths.
When you start taking it, you’ll be on the lowest dose—2.5mg. Generally speaking, higher doses mean you’ll see a stronger effect. You can get Mounjaro in 2.5mg, 5mg, 7.5mg, 10mg, 12.5mg, or 15mg doses.
Provided that you don’t get any troublesome side effects, the dose will be increased from 2.5mg every four weeks until you reach what’s called the maintenance dose.
What’s the Mounjaro maintenance dose?
This is the strength of the medicine where it has the effect it’s supposed to (without causing nasty side effects). Usually, it’s the dose you’ll stay on for the rest of your time taking Mounjaro.
Because all bodies are different, the maintenance dose can differ from person to person. But don’t worry, your prescriber will help you figure out yours.
To give you an idea of what to expect, a dosing schedule might look like this:
Mounjaro 2.5mg
Everyone taking Mounjaro starts here, on the lowest available strength. The aim is for your body to get used to the medicine before it can handle more potent doses. This helps reduce the risk of side effects.
So, does 2.5mg Mounjaro work? It will still have an effect, though it won’t be as strong as at higher doses. But this stage of your journey with Mounjaro isn’t about getting the best results—it’s about adjusting to the medicine so you can take stronger doses later on. And remember, Mounjaro works best when combined with a healthy diet (we’re talking one rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, wholegrain and lean protein) and a sustainable exercise routine (aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity—like hiking, cycling or dancing—a week). So starting on a low dose of Mounjaro is an opportunity to incorporate those healthy lifestyle changes.
What if you take two 2.5mg Mounjaro doses at once, to make 5mg? This isn’t something you should do. Mounjaro is given in fixed, specific doses. That’s how it’s been studied and that’s what our understanding of its safety is based on. If you do multiple injections at once, we can’t say for sure that it’s safe. Plus, taking more doesn’t guarantee that Mounjaro will work better for you.
We know you’re excited to reach your health goals—we’re excited for you, too! But just try to be patient for a few more weeks: we promise it will pay off.
Mounjaro 5mg
After your first four weeks, you’ll be bumped up to 5mg, the next strongest dose. For some people, this works just fine as their maintenance dose. In one trial, called SURMOUNT-1, people taking 5mg weekly lost an average of 15% body weight after 72 weeks.
Can’t I just start Mounjaro at 5mg? Unfortunately, for the reasons we’ve explained above, the answer is no. We know this might feel like you’re being held back instead of moving forward, but trust us, it’s for the best.
Mounjaro 7.5mg
If you’ve been tolerating Mounjaro okay so far, your prescriber may suggest moving up to an even stronger dose: 7.5mg. You’ll stay on it for four weeks before potentially progressing to 10mg.
Is 7.5mg of Mounjaro considered a high dose? Compared to the highest and lowest strengths available, it’s about in the middle. But 7.5mg is potent enough for the medicine to work as it should.
Mounjaro 10mg
At week 12, your dose might be dialled up to 10mg. In SURMOUNT-1, people who had 10mg as their maintenance dose lost 19.5% of their body weight on average after using Mounjaro for 72 weeks—which translated into a mean loss of 22.2kg.
Mounjaro 12.5mg
Four weeks later, you could move on to 12.5mg—the second highest dose available.
At this point, you’re at the 16-week mark of using Mounjaro alongside healthy changes to your lifestyle. And you’re well on your way to building habits that last.
Mounjaro 15mg
This is it: you’ve reached the highest dose of Mounjaro. In another trial, SURMOUNT-4, most people made it to this dose.
And to quote SURMOUNT-1 again: those on this dose lost 20.9% body weight on average after 72 weeks. Though you can never know for sure how Mounjaro will affect you personally until you take it.
How many doses are in a Mounjaro pen?
Each Mounjaro pen contains four doses, which is enough to last you a month.
What’s Mounjaro’s ‘5th dose’ or ‘extra dose’?
The so-called “fifth dose” of Mounjaro isn’t actually an extra dose of the medicine.
It’s referring to the amount of liquid that’s left in the injector pen after you’ve used your four doses. There’s 3ml of liquid per pen and each dose is 0.6ml.
The extra amount that’s left is used as a buffer, to ensure there’s enough liquid available for all four injections (you lose a tiny bit of liquid when you prepare the pens for use). This leftover liquid isn’t enough for another dose. Nor is it carefully measured, so we can’t say for sure how much, or how little, Mounjaro is in it.
Why do you have to increase your Mounjaro dose?
You would increase your dose gradually to move on to higher strengths of Mounjaro, so it could have a greater effect.
Everyone taking Mounjaro will increase their dose at least once after they’ve spent their four weeks on 2.5mg.
But remember: a higher dose isn’t always better. Mounjaro still works very well at lower strengths, and for some people, moving up might bring on side effects such as nausea and diarrhoea.
What if you miss a Mounjaro dose?
It happens! If you missed a dose of Mounjaro, don’t panic.
If it’s been four days or less since you were meant to take Mounjaro, use it as soon as you remember. Then take your next dose as usual. So, if you normally take it on Monday but you realised you forgot on Wednesday, you’d take that dose right away—and your next injection would be the following Monday.
But if it’s been more than four days since your missed dose, skip it and take it again on your usual day. Don’t worry: this won’t disrupt your progress.
And as a reminder: please don’t try to make up for a missed dose by taking two injections at once. This can put too much of the medicine in your system, which might make you feel sick.
Can you overdose on Mounjaro?
As with any medicine, it’s possible to take too much Mounjaro.
Mounjaro overdose symptoms and what to do if it happens
Tell your doctor right away if you take more Mounjaro than you should. Because Mounjaro can stay in the body for up to five days, they’ll need to keep an eye on you and manage any symptoms that come up.
These might include feeling sick or throwing up, or other side effects that come with Mounjaro—like constipation or diarrhoea.
Getting started on Mounjaro
It’s not easy to take the leap and try something new for weight loss. Particularly when it comes to using new medication: you might have a sense of uncertainty, stress, or doubt about how it could affect you.
Everyone’s journey is unique to them, but what matters most is that you make an informed decision. Medicines like Mounjaro can be a great option if you’ve already tried to make lifestyle changes but didn’t see the results you hoped for. But they aren’t a quick fix: research shows that you need to stay on them for at least a year to see the most benefit.
If you are wanting to try Mounjaro, we’re here for you every step of the way. In our weight loss programme, you can get weekly medication plus ongoing support from our team of experts—plus access to an app to help you stay on track. Find out if you’re eligible by filling out this short form, it will take about five minutes.
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