Short answer: The Tradjenta label dose is 5 mg by mouth once daily, with or without food. There is no step-up and only one tablet strength. No dose change is recommended for kidney or liver impairment. A missed dose is taken as soon as remembered, and the next dose is not doubled; the Medication Guide adds to skip it if the next dose is already due.
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 Tradjenta is approved for: Tradjenta is a DPP-4 inhibitor approved, along with diet and exercise, to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes (section 1). It is not recommended in type 1 diabetes, and it has not been studied in people who have had pancreatitis.
Source
TRADJENTA (linagliptin) tablets, for oral use, prescribing information and Medication Guide. Boehringer Ingelheim. DailyMed, version published March 27, 2025. DailyMed setid c797ea5c-cab7-494b-9044-27eba0cfe40f
Tradjenta is one 5 mg tablet taken by mouth once a day, with or without food (section 2.1).
It comes only as a 5 mg light red, round tablet (section 3).
No dosage adjustment is recommended for kidney impairment (section 8.6) or liver impairment (section 8.7).
The table below is the label's schedule, from the Dosage and Administration section. Numbers are copied exactly; the section is in brackets.
| Population | Dose | How often | With food |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adults with type 2 diabetes | 5 mg orally | Once daily | With or without food |
With a strong P-gp or CYP3A4 inducer such as rifampin, Tradjenta may work less well, and the label strongly recommends other treatments.
With insulin or a sulfonylurea, a lower dose of those medicines may be needed to reduce the risk of low blood sugar.
Tradjenta is not established for children; a 26-week trial in 157 children aged 10 to 17 did not show effectiveness.
Tablets are stored at 20 to 25 C (68 to 77 F), with excursions from 15 to 30 C allowed.
If a dose is missed, it should be taken as soon as the patient remembers, and the next dose is not doubled. The Medication Guide adds: if you do not remember until it is time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular schedule; do not take two doses at the same time.
More on this: missed a dose of Tradjenta.
In Dose Track you set up Tradjenta 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.