Short answer: The Mounjaro label starts at 2.5 mg injected once a week. If more blood sugar control is needed, the dose goes up in 2.5 mg steps after at least 4 weeks on the current dose. The maximum is 15 mg once weekly for adults and 10 mg for children 10 and older. A missed dose can be taken within 4 days (96 hours).
This is what the FDA label says. Follow your prescriber. Your prescriber may use a different dose or pace than the label's standard schedule.
What Mounjaro is approved for: Mounjaro is approved, along with diet and exercise, to improve blood sugar control in adults and children 10 years and older with type 2 diabetes, and to lower the risk of major heart and blood vessel events in adults with type 2 diabetes at high risk of them (section 1).
Source
MOUNJARO (tirzepatide) injection, prescribing information and Medication Guide. Eli Lilly. DailyMed, version published September 2, 2026. DailyMed setid d2d7da5d-ad07-4228-955f-cf7e355c8cc0
Mounjaro is injected under the skin once a week, at any time of day, with or without meals, in the stomach area or thigh, or the back of the upper arm if someone else gives it. The label says to rotate injection sites with each dose (section 2.2).
It comes as a single-dose pen, a single-dose vial and a single-patient-use KwikPen. The label says patients should be trained on the specific presentation they receive, and retrained if it changes (section 2.2).
The table below is the label's schedule, from the Dosage and Administration section. Numbers are copied exactly; the section is in brackets.
| Step | Once-weekly dose | When the label allows the next step |
|---|---|---|
| Start | 2.5 mg | After at least 4 weeks, if more glycemic control is needed |
| Next | 5 mg | After at least 4 weeks on the current dose |
| Next | 7.5 mg | After at least 4 weeks on the current dose |
| Next | 10 mg | Maximum for pediatric patients; adults may step up after at least 4 weeks |
| Next | 12.5 mg | After at least 4 weeks on the current dose |
| Maximum (adults) | 15 mg | No higher dose |
The label's starting dose is 2.5 mg once weekly. Increases are in 2.5 mg increments after at least 4 weeks on the current dose, and only if additional glycemic control is needed.
The label says to follow the starting dose and step-up schedule to reduce the risk of stomach and gut side effects.
The maximum dose is 15 mg once weekly in adults and 10 mg once weekly in children 10 years and older.
The day of the weekly dose can be changed if the time between two doses is at least 3 days (72 hours).
When used with insulin, Mounjaro and insulin are given as separate injections and never mixed. They can go in the same body area, but not right next to each other.
With insulin or a sulfonylurea, the label says lowering the dose of those medicines may reduce the risk of low blood sugar.
If a dose is missed, take it as soon as possible within 4 days (96 hours) after the missed dose. If more than 4 days have passed, skip it and take the next dose on the regular day. Either way, the regular once-weekly schedule then continues.
More on this: missed a dose of Mounjaro.
In Dose Track you set up Mounjaro as a protocol with the dose and schedule your prescriber gave you. A protocol can hold dose steps, each with its own dose and length in days or weeks, so a step-up plan like the one on the label can be entered once and the app moves to the next step on its own. Reminders follow the schedule, and every dose is logged with the date and time, so you can see which step you are on and when your last dose was. The app follows what you enter; it does not choose or change a dose.
This page is what the FDA label says, in plain words. It is not medical advice. Follow your prescriber, and ask them or your pharmacist about anything here.