Semaglutide dosage chart: mg, mL and units

Ozempic dosage chart (mg per week)

Ozempic (semaglutide) injection starts at 0.25 mg once a week for 4 weeks, then goes up to 0.5 mg once a week. If more blood sugar control is needed, the US label lets the dose go up to 1 mg, then 2 mg, with at least 4 weeks on each dose first¹. The maximum on the label is 2 mg once a week¹.

In the US, Ozempic comes as multi-dose pens and as single-dose prefilled syringes. The pen for 0.25 mg and 0.5 mg holds 2 mg in 3 mL (0.68 mg/mL). The 1 mg pen holds 4 mg in 3 mL (1.34 mg/mL), and the 2 mg pen holds 8 mg in 3 mL (2.68 mg/mL)¹. The single-dose syringes hold 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg or 1 mg in 0.5 mL¹.

Wegovy dosage chart: injection and tablets

Wegovy (semaglutide) injection starts at 0.25 mg once a week and goes up every 4 weeks: 0.5 mg, 1 mg, then 1.7 mg. From week 17 the usual maintenance dose is 2.4 mg once a week². For weight reduction in adults, the US label allows a maximum of 7.2 mg once a week after at least 4 weeks on 2.4 mg².

Wegovy tablets are a once-a-day pill. The US label starts at 1.5 mg a day for 30 days, then 4 mg, then 9 mg, each for 30 days. From day 91 the maintenance dose is 25 mg once a day².

US Wegovy injection comes as single-dose pens and syringes for each step, a 7.2 mg single-dose pen (Wegovy HD), and a multi-dose Wegovy FlexTouch pen that holds four 2.4 mg doses (9.6 mg in 3 mL)².

How many units is 0.25 mg of semaglutide?

0.25 mg of semaglutide is 10 units on a U-100 insulin syringe when the vial is 2.5 mg/mL. At 1 mg/mL it's 25 units, and at 5 mg/mL it's 5 units. A U-100 syringe holds 100 units in 1 mL, so 1 unit is 0.01 mL.

Compounded semaglutide vials don't all have the same strength, so the same dose in mg can be a very different number of units. Go by the mg/mL printed on your own vial. For example, 0.5 mg at 2.5 mg/mL is 20 units (0.2 mL).

Semaglutide units to mg chart

To turn semaglutide units into mg, multiply the units by 0.01 to get mL, then multiply by the vial strength in mg/mL. At 2.5 mg/mL, 10 units on a U-100 syringe is 0.25 mg and 20 units is 0.5 mg.

Got units from a clinic and want to check them? Enter them in the units to dose calculator with your vial strength. If you're unsure how to read the lines, see how to read an insulin syringe.

Rybelsus and Ozempic tablets dosage chart

Rybelsus (semaglutide) tablets start at 3 mg once a day for 30 days, then 7 mg, with 14 mg if more blood sugar control is needed. Ozempic tablets, which share the same US label, start at 1.5 mg, then 4 mg, with 9 mg if needed³. The 3 mg and 1.5 mg starting doses are not meant to control blood sugar³.

The labels for all semaglutide tablets say the same about how to take them. Take one tablet in the morning on an empty stomach with up to 4 ounces of plain water. Swallow it whole, then wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking or taking other pills^2–3.

What if you miss a semaglutide dose?

For a missed Ozempic dose, the label says to take it within 5 days. If more than 5 days have passed, skip it and take the next dose on your usual day¹. Wegovy injection in the US uses a different rule based on how close the next dose is².

Moving your Ozempic day is allowed. The US label needs at least 2 days (more than 48 hours) between two doses¹, and the UK SmPC needs at least 3 days (more than 72 hours)⁴. For more detail, including tirzepatide, see what to do if you miss a GLP-1 dose.

Switching between semaglutide products

Switching between semaglutide forms follows set pairs on the US labels. Someone on Wegovy 2.4 mg injection can switch to Wegovy 25 mg tablets, starting one week after the last injection. Going the other way, Wegovy 2.4 mg injection starts the day after the last 25 mg tablet².

• Ozempic injection to tablets. From Ozempic 0.5 mg injection, the label starts Rybelsus 7 mg or 14 mg, or Ozempic tablets 4 mg or 9 mg, one week after the last injection³.
• Not together. The Wegovy label says not to use it with other semaglutide products or any other GLP-1 medicine².
• Compounded vials. No FDA label covers switching between a compounded vial and a branded pen. Your prescriber sets the dose in mg, and the tables above turn that into units.

Moving from semaglutide to tirzepatide (Mounjaro or Zepbound) is covered in switching from semaglutide to tirzepatide.