Why dose ladders differ by drug
Each GLP-1 medication has its own approved titration schedule, reflecting differences in the drug's potency, half-life, and clinical trial data — there's no single universal schedule across the class. This guide gives a general orientation to how the major drugs differ in structure, not a substitute for your specific prescribed schedule, which you should always confirm with your prescriber or pharmacist and the official prescribing information, since doses and schedules are occasionally updated.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy)
Semaglutide titration generally uses monthly step increases — a low starting dose held for about four weeks, then increasing in defined steps roughly every four weeks, up to a maintenance dose. The weight-management version (Wegovy) has more titration steps and a higher eventual maintenance dose than the diabetes version (Ozempic), which is part of why switching between them isn't a simple direct swap — see our guide on switching between diabetes and weight-management dosing.
Tirzepatide (Mounjaro / Zepbound)
Tirzepatide also uses roughly monthly step increases from a low starting dose, generally in smaller, more frequent increments than semaglutide, reflecting its different receptor pharmacology as a dual agonist. As with semaglutide, the diabetes and weight-management brand names share the same underlying titration structure.
Liraglutide (Victoza / Saxenda)
Liraglutide is notable for two structural differences: it's dosed daily rather than weekly (see our glossary entry on half-life for why dosing frequency varies across the drug class), and its titration schedule generally uses weekly rather than monthly step increases — a faster overall titration timeline than semaglutide or tirzepatide, despite the smaller per-step increments.
What's consistent across all of them
Regardless of the specific schedule, the underlying logic is the same: start low, increase gradually, and hold at a maintenance dose once reached (see our guide on what "maintenance dose" actually means). Side effects tend to cluster around each step increase across all these drugs, as covered in our side effect timeline guide.
The bottom line
The general shape of titration — low start, gradual increase, eventual maintenance — is consistent across GLP-1 medications, but the specific doses, step sizes, and timing vary meaningfully by drug. Always work from your prescribed schedule and current official prescribing information rather than assuming another drug's numbers apply to yours.