Microdose GLP-1
You are trying to work out how much to draw or when to step up.
Reference and calculator, not medical advice. Dosing figures below are transcribed from FDA-approved prescribing information and link back to it. Last reviewed August 2026.
Microdosing is not a labelled regimen. No GLP-1 product has an approved dose below its stated starting step, so any discussion of it is a discussion of off-label use. What the term describes in practice is staying at or below the lowest step of the standard schedule — usually to limit gastrointestinal effects, sometimes to stretch a supply.
The reference points matter, because "microdose" means nothing without them. Semaglutide for weight management starts at 0.25 mg weekly; tirzepatide starts at 2.5 mg weekly. Those starting doses are already described in the labelling as sub-therapeutic — present to allow adjustment, not to produce the intended effect.
Side-by-side
Structural facts from each product’s prescribing information.
| Product | Active ingredient | Indication | Frequency | Start | Max labelled | Steps to max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zepbound Eli Lilly | Tirzepatide | Weight management | Weekly | 2.5 mg | 15 mg | 6 |
| Mounjaro Eli Lilly | Tirzepatide | Type 2 diabetes | Weekly | 2.5 mg | 15 mg | 6 |
| Wegovy Novo Nordisk | Semaglutide | Weight management | Weekly | 0.25 mg | 2.4 mg | 5 |
| Ozempic Novo Nordisk | Semaglutide | Type 2 diabetes | Weekly | 0.25 mg | 2 mg | 4 |
| Saxenda Novo Nordisk | Liraglutide | Weight management | Daily | 0.6 mg | 3 mg | 5 |
| Trulicity Eli Lilly | Dulaglutide | Type 2 diabetes | Weekly | 0.75 mg | 4.5 mg | 4 |
The practical hazard is arithmetic, not pharmacology. Splitting a dose means drawing from a vial, and what you measure on the syringe depends entirely on that vial's concentration. This is where errors actually happen.
mg → syringe units converter
U-100 syringe. Formula: (dose ÷ concentration) × 100.
Check the concentration printed on the vial you are actually holding. The same dose in milligrams is a completely different mark on the syringe at a different concentration. If the number here does not match what your prescriber told you, trust your prescriber.
Compounded vs brand-name: what actually differs
Current as of August 2026.
- Prepared by a pharmacy, not the original manufacturer — so there is no FDA-approved label for the exact preparation you receive.
- Much more restricted than during the 2024–25 shortages. Supply is smaller and less predictable than it was.
- Brand-name self-pay programmes have narrowed the price gap that made compounding attractive.
Compounded is usually cheaper but can change with the rules; brand-name costs more and is more predictable. Worth raising with whoever writes your prescription. FDA’s compounding pages have the detail if you want it.
Common questions
- Is there a standard microdose?
- No. There is no published schedule, no agreed definition, and no labelled dose below the starting step. Any specific number you see quoted came from an individual or a forum, not from prescribing information.
- Why do people do it?
- The reasons that come up are limiting gastrointestinal effects, and making a supply last longer. Whether either is appropriate for a given person is a prescriber question — the second reason in particular has cost implications rather than clinical ones.
- Does a lower dose still work?
- Not a question this site will answer. Dose-response is clinical territory and depends on the individual. What we can tell you is what the labelled schedule is, and what a given amount measures on a syringe.
- What is the most common mistake?
- Reusing a units figure after switching to a vial of different concentration. The same number of units is a completely different dose at a different concentration — always reconvert from the label on the vial in your hand.
Sources and last review
Every dosing figure on this page is transcribed from an FDA-approved label and links back to it. Conversions are arithmetic you can repeat by hand. Nothing here is reviewed by a clinician, and this site does not employ one — which is exactly why what I do publish stays traceable to its source.
- Zepbound (Tirzepatide) prescribing information — Eli Lilly, label revised 6 May 2026, checked 7 August 2026
- Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) prescribing information — Eli Lilly, label revised 6 May 2026, checked 7 August 2026
- Wegovy (Semaglutide) prescribing information — Novo Nordisk, label revised 30 June 2026, checked 7 August 2026
- Ozempic (Semaglutide) prescribing information — Novo Nordisk, label revised 10 June 2026, checked 7 August 2026
- Saxenda (Liraglutide) prescribing information — Novo Nordisk, label revised 15 June 2026, checked 7 August 2026
- Trulicity (Dulaglutide) prescribing information — Eli Lilly, label revised 25 March 2026, checked 7 August 2026
Transcribed from the labels above and checked by me — Gavin, who builds this site, takes a GLP-1, and is not a clinician. Last reviewed August 2026. Found an error? [email protected] — I treat corrections as bugs. How this site is built and funded.
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