Dosing tools
The GLP-1 calculator, in one place.
Three tools, one page: reconstitution math with a live syringe diagram, brand ↔ compounded equivalents for every common dose strength, and a week-by-week titration schedule generator.
How this works
Reconstitution is mixing dry peptide powder with bacteriostatic water to make it injectable. This tool tells you the exact number of units to draw on a standard insulin syringe to inject your target dose.
Step-by-step & definitions
Step by step
- 1Pick your peptide. It's just a tag — the math works the same regardless of which peptide is in the vial.
- 2Enter the vial size in mg. This is printed on the vial label (e.g., 5 mg, 10 mg).
- 3Enter how much bacteriostatic water you'll add. Common volumes are 1–3 mL. More water = more dilute = bigger draws on the syringe.
- 4Enter your target per-injection dose in mg. For example, 0.25 mg is a typical semaglutide starting dose.
- 5Read "Draw to" on the right. Pull the plunger to that unit mark on the recommended insulin syringe. The diagram below shows the fill line.
Quick example
5 mg vial + 2.5 mL bacteriostatic water = 2 mg/mL. → For a 0.25 mg dose, draw to 12.5 units on a 30-unit insulin syringe.
Definitions
- Reconstitution
- — Adding sterile liquid to dry peptide powder to make it injectable.
- Bacteriostatic water (BAC water)
- — Sterile water with 0.9% benzyl alcohol that prevents bacterial growth, letting a reconstituted vial last several weeks refrigerated.
- Concentration (mg/mL)
- — How much peptide is in each milliliter of solution. The same dose draws different units depending on concentration.
- Insulin syringe (U-100)
- — A syringe calibrated so 100 units = 1 mL. "30-unit", "50-unit", and "100-unit" refer to total capacity.
- Unit
- — A tick mark on a U-100 insulin syringe. 1 unit = 0.01 mL.
Total milligrams of peptide in your vial
Volume of BAC water you'll add to the vial
The dose you want to inject each time
Concentration
2.00
mg/mL
Volume per dose
0.125
mL
Draw to
12.5
units
Recommended syringe
30-unit
(U-100 calibration)
How this works
Brand-name medications (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound, Saxenda) and compounded peptides use the same active drug at the same milligram strength. This tool translates between brand dose strengths and milligrams so you know which compounded dose matches a brand pen — or vice versa.
Step-by-step & definitions
Step by step
- 1Choose a direction. Brand → mg if you have a prescription pen and want the milligram value. mg → Brand if you have a compounded vial and want to see which brand strength you're matching.
- 2Pick the brand and dose strength. (or peptide and your custom mg). Use the Flip button anytime to swap directions.
- 3Read the equivalent on the right. Along with the indication that strength is approved for (T2D vs. weight loss, starting vs. maintenance).
- 4Need to know syringe units?. Switch to the Reconstitution tab — your mg result there gives you the exact draw on an insulin syringe.
Quick example
Wegovy 1.7 mg. → 1.7 mg of compounded semaglutide per weekly injection.
Definitions
- Brand-name peptide
- — FDA-approved version sold in pre-filled pens (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound, Saxenda) at standardized doses.
- Compounded peptide
- — Made by a compounding pharmacy, usually as a vial of dry powder you reconstitute yourself with bacteriostatic water.
- Indication
- — The official approved use of a particular dose strength — e.g., Wegovy 0.25 mg is the starting dose for chronic weight management.
- T2D
- — Type 2 diabetes — the original GLP-1 indication. Weight-loss approval came later for many of these molecules.
- Maintenance dose
- — The ongoing dose you stay on after titration ends.
Equivalent
1 mg
Semaglutide — Weight loss — week 9–12
Weekly injection
Wegovy at 1 mg matches a compounded semaglutide dose of 1 mg per injection.
Full brand-dose reference
Ozempic
Semaglutide
- 0.25 mgT2D — starting
- 0.5 mgT2D — titration
- 1 mgT2D — maintenance
- 2 mgT2D — max
Wegovy
Semaglutide
- 0.25 mgWeight loss — week 1–4
- 0.5 mgWeight loss — week 5–8
- 1 mgWeight loss — week 9–12
- 1.7 mgWeight loss — week 13–16
- 2.4 mgWeight loss — maintenance
Mounjaro
Tirzepatide
- 2.5 mgT2D — starting
- 5 mgT2D — titration
- 7.5 mgT2D — titration
- 10 mgT2D — maintenance
- 12.5 mgT2D — high dose
- 15 mgT2D — max
Zepbound
Tirzepatide
- 2.5 mgWeight loss — week 1–4
- 5 mgWeight loss — week 5–8
- 7.5 mgWeight loss — titration
- 10 mgWeight loss — maintenance
- 12.5 mgWeight loss — high
- 15 mgWeight loss — max
Saxenda
Liraglutide
- 0.6 mgWeight loss — week 1 (daily)
- 1.2 mgWeight loss — week 2 (daily)
- 1.8 mgWeight loss — week 3 (daily)
- 2.4 mgWeight loss — week 4 (daily)
- 3 mgWeight loss — maintenance (daily)
How this works
Titration is the gradual ramp-up from a low starting dose to your full therapeutic dose. The slow ramp lets your gut adjust and dramatically reduces nausea and other GI side effects. This tool generates a personalized week-by-week schedule for any major GLP-1 peptide.
Step-by-step & definitions
Step by step
- 1Pick your peptide. Semaglutide and tirzepatide are weekly. Liraglutide is daily. Retatrutide is investigational and based on published trial protocols.
- 2Choose your pace. Standard mirrors the FDA-label titration (typically 4 weeks per dose step). Go slower doubles each step's duration — pick this if you tend toward GI side effects or want extra room to adjust.
- 3Optionally set a start date. Enter the date of your first injection and the table will compute calendar dates for each step automatically.
- 4Print or screenshot. Use the Print button (top-right of the schedule) to save a clean printable copy. Bring it to your next provider visit.
- 5Hold a step if you need to. There's no medal for hitting your max dose on schedule. If a step gives you rough side effects, stay on it 2–4 extra weeks before stepping up.
Quick example
Semaglutide, standard pace. → Week 1–4 → 0.25 mg, Week 5–8 → 0.5 mg, Week 9–12 → 1.0 mg, Week 13–16 → 1.7 mg, Week 17+ → 2.4 mg maintenance.
Definitions
- Titration
- — Gradually increasing a dose over time so the body can adapt and side effects stay manageable.
- Maintenance dose
- — The full therapeutic dose you stay on once titration is complete.
- Standard pace
- — Matches FDA labeling — for most GLP-1s, you increase the dose every 4 weeks.
- Go slower
- — Doubles each step's duration. Useful if you have low tolerance for GI side effects or are sensitive to dose changes.
- Weekly vs. daily
- — Semaglutide, tirzepatide, and retatrutide are weekly injections. Liraglutide is a daily injection — its schedule shows dose changes per week, but you inject every day.
Go-slower doubles each step's duration.
Semaglutide — standard schedule
· 20 wk · weekly| Step | Weeks | Dates | Dose | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Weeks 1–4 | — | 0.25mg | Starting dose |
| 02 | Weeks 5–8 | — | 0.5mg | — |
| 03 | Weeks 9–12 | — | 1mg | — |
| 04 | Weeks 13–16 | — | 1.7mg | — |
| 05 | Weeks 17–20 | — | 2.4mg | Maintenance |
Schedules reflect FDA-label titration for approved indications and published trial protocols. Real-world pacing varies — your provider may slow or speed steps based on response and side effects.