Mounjaro® (tirzepatide) 7.5 mg

Description

When it comes to medications that treat Type 2 diabetes, taking the right dose is essential. A dose that’s too low won’t provide the right blood glucose (sugar) balance. And one that’s too high raises the risk of side effects. But finding the right dose often takes some time.

And that’s definitely true in the case of Mounjaro (tirzepatide). Dosages of this once-weekly injectable medication are increased over several weeks, until a person reaches their maintenance dosage. This can help limit unwanted side effects, such as nausea and diarrhea.

But just how long will it take to get to your maintenance (long-term) Mounjaro dosage? Let’s discuss.

Note: Mounjaro is currently only FDA approved for use by adults 18 years and older. While a healthcare professional could choose to prescribe it off-label to a child, there are no standard Mounjaro dosages for kids.

What’s the typical Mounjaro dosage for adults?

Mounjaro is a once-weekly injection that you give to yourself at home. You can inject it just under the skin of your stomach, thigh, or upper arm. But you should try to rotate injection sites to avoid irritation. Mounjaro can be injected at any time of day, with or without food.

Mounjaro comes as a single-use, prefilled injection pen. This means the device is already assembled and ready to use, and it should be discarded in a sharps container after you inject yourself.

Mounjaro also comes as single-use vials. If you’ve been prescribed this form, you’ll need to use a syringe to draw up each dose right before injecting it. Mounjaro vials contain no preservatives and should only be used once. You shouldn’t try to split doses or save leftover liquid for future injections.

Mounjaro comes in the following doses:

• 2.5 mg/0.5 mL

• 5 mg/0.5 mL

• 7.5 mg/0.5 mL

• 10 mg/0.5 mL

• 12.5 mg/0.5 mL

• 15 mg/0.5 mL

Each dose comes in an injection pen or vial of a different color to help you tell the difference between them. With the vials, the safety cap’s color is also different between doses. This cap should be the same color as what’s on the vial’s labeling.

Mounjaro dosage schedule

The typical starting Mounjaro dosage is 2.5 mg once a week. This dosage doesn’t usually have an effect on your blood glucose, but it helps your body get used to the medication. After that, the dosage slowly goes up over a period of several weeks, following this schedule:

• Weeks 1-4: Inject 2.5 mg beneath the skin once a week, on the same day each week.

• Weeks 5-8: Inject 5 mg beneath the skin once a week, on the same day each week.

• Weeks 9 and on: If your blood glucose levels still aren’t where you want them to be, your dosage can be raised to 7.5 mg once a week for another 4 weeks. Additional dosage increases can be made if needed. But the increases should be by no more than 2.5 mg at a time, and there should be at least 4 weeks in between each one.

• Maximum dosage: The maximum recommended Mounjaro dosage is 15 mg once a week.