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What is the maintenance dose of Mounjaro?

GLP Guidebook teamUpdated 14 Oct 202612 sourcesWritten from published sources
What we checked12 sources, each one opened and linked to the sentence it supportsLast checked 14 Oct 2026 · Next review due 14 Apr 2027 · How we write
The short answer

The UK label for Mounjaro (tirzepatide) gives recommended maintenance doses of 5 mg, 10 mg and 15 mg once a week for adults. The 2.5 mg dose is only for the first 4 weeks. Doses rise by 2.5 mg, at least 4 weeks apart, to a maximum of 15 mg, and the prescriber decides where to stop.

Before you go further
  • Mounjaro, like every GLP‑1 medicine, is a prescription-only medicine in the UK.11
  • Never change your dose yourself. Your prescriber sets it.
  • Prices here are official NHS list prices. We don’t quote, rank or link to any seller.
  • Nothing here promises any result. The risks are in Guide 5: Side effects and risks.

What does the UK label say?

Start at 2.5 mg for 4 weeks, then 5 mg; after that the dose can go up 2.5 mg at a time, with recommended maintenance doses of 5, 10 and 15 mg.1

“Maintenance dose” means the dose you stay on once the build-up is over. The UK label says rises are made “if needed”, after at least 4 weeks on the current dose.1 So 7.5 mg and 12.5 mg are steps on the way up.1

The maximum for adults is 15 mg a week.1 For children 10 and over with type 2 diabetes, the maintenance doses are 5 and 10 mg, with 10 mg the maximum.1

How did the maintenance doses compare in the trial?

In SURMOUNT-1, average weight fell 16.0% on 5 mg, 21.4% on 10 mg and 22.5% on 15 mg over 72 weeks, against 2.4% on a dummy injection.1,2

The trial gave 2,539 adults without diabetes one of the three doses or a dummy injection (placebo).2 For a 100 kg (15 st 10 lb) person, those averages are about 16, 21 and 23 kg.

Side effects also differed by dose. In the weight trials, 25, 29 and 28 in 100 felt sick on 5, 10 and 15 mg, against 9 in 100 on placebo.1 About 2 in 100 on 5 mg and 4 in 100 on 15 mg stopped because of stomach side effects.1

NICE says to review after 6 months on the highest dose you tolerate if under 5% of starting weight is lost.12

What does each maintenance dose cost?

At NHS list price, a 4-week pen costs £180 at 5 mg, £255 at 10 mg and £330 at 15 mg, excluding VAT.3

Held for a year, 13 pens come to £2,340 at 5 mg, £3,315 at 10 mg and £4,290 at 15 mg, by our arithmetic.3

On an NHS prescription the dose doesn’t change what you pay. It is £9.90 an item in England, and free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.4,5,6,7 More in How much is Mounjaro in the UK?

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How is Wegovy’s maintenance dose different?

Wegovy (semaglutide) has one main maintenance dose, 2.4 mg a week, reached at week 17, with 7.2 mg allowed later for adults with obesity if needed.8

Wegovy steps up every 4 weeks through 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 1.7 mg.8 The 7.2 mg dose can follow at least 4 weeks on 2.4 mg.8 Our guide to getting a prescription in the UK covers both medicines.

RisksThe risks, in brief
  • Stomach effects are very common. In the SURMOUNT-1 and -2 weight trials pooled on the UK label, 25 to 29 in 100 people on 5 to 15 mg felt sick, against 9 in 100 on a dummy injection.1
  • Gallstones are common (1 in 10 to 1 in 100) and pancreatitis uncommon (1 in 100 to 1 in 1,000) on the UK Mounjaro label. The MHRA updated its pancreatitis guidance in January 2026.1,10
  • The pill. The MHRA advises adding a barrier method for 4 weeks after starting Mounjaro and after each dose rise.9
  • Pregnancy and surgery. Stop Mounjaro at least 1 month before a planned pregnancy, and tell your anaesthetist you take it.9
Full detail in Guide 5: Side effects and risks →

Read the full picture

Related questions

How much is Mounjaro in the UK? Does Mounjaro stop the pill working? What BMI do you need for Mounjaro in the UK? Can I get Mounjaro on the NHS?
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Sources

  1. Eli Lilly. Mounjaro KwikPen: UK summary of product characteristics (SmPC), electronic Medicines Compendium. Date of revision 29 August 2026. Sections 4.1, 4.2 (posology, maintenance doses), 4.8 (weight-management side-effect rates) and 5.1 (SURMOUNT-1 table). UK label. medicines.org.uk (emc)
  2. Jastreboff AM et al. Tirzepatide once weekly for the treatment of obesity (SURMOUNT-1). N Engl J Med 2022;387:205–216. 2,539 adults, 72 weeks. Funded by Eli Lilly. PMID 35658024. PubMed
  3. NHS Business Services Authority. Drug Tariff, Part VIIIA, October 2026: tirzepatide pens £180.00 (5 mg), £255.00 (7.5 and 10 mg), £330.00 (12.5 and 15 mg), excluding VAT. nhsbsa.nhs.uk
  4. NHS Business Services Authority. NHS prescription prepayment certificate (PPC): “The prescription charge in England is £9.90.” nhsbsa.nhs.uk
  5. Citizens Advice Scotland. Help with health costs: “Prescriptions in Scotland are free.” citizensadvice.org.uk
  6. Welsh Government. Free prescriptions. gov.wales
  7. nidirect (Northern Ireland). Help with health costs: “All prescriptions dispensed in Northern Ireland are free of charge for everyone.” nidirect.gov.uk
  8. Novo Nordisk. Wegovy FlexTouch: UK summary of product characteristics (SmPC), electronic Medicines Compendium. Date of revision 09/2026. Section 4.2 (Table 2). UK label. medicines.org.uk (emc)
  9. MHRA. GLP-1 medicines for weight loss and diabetes: what you need to know. Guidance, updated 5 February 2026. gov.uk
  10. MHRA. MHRA updates guidance for GLP-1 prescribers and patients (acute pancreatitis). Press release, 29 January 2026. gov.uk
  11. MHRA. First GLP-1 tablet for weight loss approved in the UK. Press release, 11 June 2026 (“As with all GLP-1 receptor agonists, this is a prescription-only medication”). gov.uk
  12. NICE. Tirzepatide for managing overweight and obesity, TA1026, recommendation 1.2. nice.org.uk

Last checked 14 Oct 2026 · Next review due 14 Apr 2027 · Report an error

How this answer was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above, all checked on 14 Oct 2026. Dose facts come from the UK label (SmPC); prices are official NHS list prices. Figures marked as our arithmetic are worked out from those sources. It’s general information, not medical advice. Talk to a GP, pharmacist or other qualified prescriber before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. How we write