Mounjaro and Wegovy Doses: Every Strength, Price, and What to Expect
I remember staring at a dose chart for the first time and thinking it looked more like a rail replacement bus timetable than a weight loss plan. 2.5mg, 5mg, 7.5mg, 10mg, 12.5mg, 15mg, six different strengths, each with its own price tag, and nobody had bothered to explain why there were so many or which one I'd actually end up on.
Here's the short version: every dose exists because your body needs time to adapt to these medications. You start on the lowest strength, build up month by month, and eventually settle at whichever dose controls your appetite without making you feel rotten. This guide walks through every Mounjaro and Wegovy dose available in the UK, what each one costs, when you'd move up, and how to know when you've hit the right level.
Why weight loss injections come in so many doses
GLP-1 medications like Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and Wegovy (semaglutide) work by mimicking gut hormones that regulate appetite and blood sugar. But introduce too much, too fast, and your digestive system stages a fairly emphatic protest, nausea, vomiting, the works.
The multiple dose strengths aren't a marketing gimmick. They're there so your body can acclimatise gradually. NICE guidelines specify a minimum of four weeks at each dose level before stepping up. Skip ahead and you'll spend more time in the bathroom than the gym.
Think of it like learning to drink coffee. You don't start with a quadruple espresso on day one. You work your way up from a flat white. Same principle, except the stakes involve your digestive system rather than mild caffeine jitters.
Mounjaro (tirzepatide) doses and prices
Mounjaro targets two gut hormones, GLP-1 and GIP, which is why it's called a dual agonist. Clinical trials (SURMOUNT-1) showed patients lost up to 20.9% of their body weight over 72 weeks on the 15mg maximum dose.
Here's every Mounjaro dose available in the UK, with current pricing at Kensington Slimming Clinic:
- 2.5 mg,£176/month (Starting dose, Month 1)
- 5.0 mg,£197/month (First step-up, Month 2)
- 7.5 mg,£252/month (Escalation dose, Month 3)
- 10.0 mg,£282/month (Maintenance phase)
- 12.5 mg,£296/month (Advanced escalation)
- 15.0 mg,£312/month (Maximum maintenance dose)
Each pen contains four weekly doses. Every price includes the online clinical assessment, private prescription, medication, and cold-chain UK delivery. No hidden add-ons at checkout, I've heard enough horror stories about secret £45 "consultation fees" appearing at the last minute to last a lifetime.
The 2.5mg starting dose is exactly that, a starting point. Most people don't stay on it beyond the first month. It introduces the medication to your system at a low level, giving your body a chance to adjust before you step up to 5mg.
By the time you reach 7.5mg or 10mg, most patients report that "food noise", that persistent inner monologue debating whether 10:30pm counts as late enough for cheddar, has dropped from a stadium concert to background radio.
If you're specifically looking for Mounjaro 7.5 mg pricing or want to compare Mounjaro costs across UK providers, we've covered that in detail separately.
Wegovy (semaglutide) doses and prices
Wegovy targets a single gut hormone (GLP-1). The STEP-1 clinical trial showed patients lost up to 14.9% of their body weight over 68 weeks on the 2.4mg maximum dose.
Here's every Wegovy dose, with current UK pricing:
- 0.25 mg,£132/month (Starting dose, Month 1)
- 0.5 mg,£141/month (Step-up dose, Month 2)
- 1.0 mg,£146/month (Escalation dose, Month 3)
- 1.7 mg,£200/month (High-dose escalation)
- 2.4 mg,£250/month (Maximum maintenance dose)
The same rule applies: minimum four weeks at each level. The 0.25mg starting dose is not a therapeutic dose, it's there purely to introduce the medication gently. Don't be surprised if you feel nothing on it. That's actually the point.
The 2.4mg maintenance dose is where most people land long-term. It's the dose used in the STEP-1 trial and the one most likely to deliver sustained appetite suppression. If you're researching how to buy Wegovy online in the UK, you'll typically progress through each of these strengths before reaching 2.4mg.
How dose titration actually works
Titration is the clinical term for climbing the dose ladder one careful rung at a time. Here's what a typical journey looks like:
Month 1, Starting dose
Minimal appetite effect for most people. Your body is just getting acquainted with the medication. For Mounjaro that's 2.5mg (£176); for Wegovy it's 0.25mg (£132).
Month 2, First step-up
Appetite suppression usually kicks in. Some people feel mild nausea for the first few days after each injection, this typically settles as your body adjusts.
Month 3, Second step-up
Food noise noticeably quieter. Portion sizes shrink without you having to think about it. This is where many patients start to feel the medication genuinely working.
Month 4 onwards, Finding your level
You and your clinician decide whether to continue stepping up or hold steady. The rule of thumb is simple: if the current dose is controlling your appetite with manageable side effects, you don't have to rush to the maximum strength. Clinical flexibility matters.
Most people on Mounjaro settle somewhere between 7.5mg and 12.5mg. Most Wegovy patients end up at 1.7mg or 2.4mg. But there's no prize for reaching the top dose fastest. The goal is sustainable, steady weight loss, not a race to the maximum prescription.
(I should mention: every dose increase should be discussed with your prescribing clinician. Don't DIY your titration schedule. I've heard the cautionary tales about patients who jumped from 2.5mg to 7.5mg in three weeks because they wanted faster results. They spent 48 hours on the bathroom floor and started again from scratch.)
How to know which dose is right for you
You don't pick your dose, your body does. The prescribing clinician starts everyone on the lowest strength and watches how you respond. If your appetite is well-controlled and you're losing weight steadily at 5mg, there's no clinical reason to push higher.
That said, here are a few signals to watch for:
- Still getting strong food noise at the current dose? Probably time to step up at your next review
- Losing 0.5–1kg per week steadily? Your current dose is doing its job, stay put
- Side effects lingering beyond the first few days of each new pen? Might be worth staying at the current level an extra month
Your clinician will guide you through this. The titration schedule isn't set in stone, it's a framework that bends around how your body actually responds. If you're switching from Wegovy to Mounjaro, your clinician will adjust the starting dose based on your treatment history.
Real costs across a full treatment journey
Let's be honest about what this actually costs over time. A typical six-month Mounjaro journey might look like:
- Month 1: £176 (2.5mg starting dose)
- Month 2: £197 (5mg first step-up)
- Month 3: £252 (7.5mg escalation)
- Months 4–6: £282/month (10mg maintenance)
- Total first six months: roughly £1,385
And a typical Wegovy journey over six months:
- Month 1: £132 (0.25mg starting dose)
- Month 2: £141 (0.5mg step-up)
- Month 3: £146 (1.0mg escalation)
- Months 4–6: £200–£250/month (1.7mg–2.4mg)
- Total first six months: roughly £1,045
These aren't small numbers. But they include everything, the clinical assessment, the prescription, the medication, and cold-chain delivery to your door. No subscription traps. No add-ons at checkout.
If you're budget-conscious, Wegovy comes in at a lower monthly cost. If you're aiming for maximum results, Mounjaro's dual-action mechanism delivered stronger average weight loss in clinical trials (20.9% vs 14.9%).
Buying safely, a quick reality check
Not every website selling Mounjaro or Wegovy is legitimate. The GPhC registers all licensed UK pharmacies, if a site isn't on their register, walk away. Cheap isn't always safe. Cold-chain integrity during delivery isn't negotiable, and neither is proper clinical oversight.
A proper provider will:
- Ask for your full medical history before prescribing
- Tell you straight if the medication isn't right for you
- Include the clinical assessment, prescription, medication, and delivery in one price
- Offer ongoing clinical support after your first pen arrives
If a website advertises "Mounjaro pens from £99" and only reveals the real price after you've handed over your details, close the tab. The bait-and-switch pricing in this industry is genuinely infuriating, I've written about finding the cheapest Mounjaro safely if you want the full story.
Also worth reading up on Mounjaro side effects including hair loss before you start, knowing what to expect makes the whole process less daunting.
The medication needs to stay between 2°C and 8°C during transit, that's what the insulated Woolcool packaging and gel ice packs are for. When your delivery arrives, the outer box might feel room-temperature, but the pen container inside should still be chilled. Clear a shelf in the fridge before the courier knocks.
Fill in the online assessment, get reviewed by a GMC-registered clinician, and your medication arrives in temperature-controlled packaging. All you need to do is clear a little space in the fridge, ideally not the one currently occupied by half a Christmas cake from 2024.